Harry Potter and the Knights of Walsingham
by stalkerace
Summary: The theft of several kilograms of sensitive material from a relatively isolated site brings Auror Captain Potter and the magical world into contact with an ancient order of knights tasked with protecting the United Kingdom
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This is a **fan-fiction work**. The events depicted herein **did not happen** and **will not happen** in real life. The Author of this work **does not claim** to own the Harry Potter Universe or the copyright of the same. Any character that appears in this work **that may resemble a real person**, living or dead, **is not intended to represent such person**, and **any and all resemblance to such person is purely coincidental**. Please note that **some of the actions depicted in this work may be illegal** and **should not be imitated in real life**.

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**HARRY POTTER AND THE KNIGHTS OF WALSINGHAM**

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**ONE**

It was not possible for any person to actually be able to understand the many tens – perhaps even hundreds – of conversations that were being held in the main floor of the Ministry of Magic, even if that person who would try would use a magical artifact or spell to help him or her. There was no spell in place that prevented people from eavesdropping on other people as they carried out their small private conversations, it is just that the sheer number of conversations that were taking place at that particular moment made it impossible for anyone to actually listen in on the conversations that were happening around them.

That was exactly what was on the mind of Harry James Potter as he stepped out of one of the many fireplaces in the main floor of the Ministry of Magic, which was why he did not bother to even try to listen in on some of the conversations that were going on around him as he purposely walked toward the main entrance to the Ministry, his red auror robes gathered about him and marking him as a member of the elite arm of the law enforcement division of the Ministry of Magic.

As he walked through the floor on his way to the main entrance, some people would turn from whatever it is that they were doing so that they could stare at him, but Harry pointedly ignored them by not even turning his attention toward them, giving them the impression that he was already late for a meeting, and hence, he could not spare the time to speak with anyone.

The man who had been given the moniker of 'the Man-who-Won' knew that it was not only his auror robes that were making people stop and their attention toward him so that they can gawk at him. Far more than the robes that he was wearing, Harry knew that it was his reputations that made people stare at him, and that it was not only his own countryman who are prone to that.

As a sigh escaped from the lips of the young man, he told himself that he could not help it, after all, having been the one to end the Second Blood War, it was but a matter of course for him to be considered as a hero and as a celebrity. Add to that would be the fact that prior to the outbreak of the war, he had already been famous for being the one to cause the – arguable – end of the First Blood War.

In the opinion of Harry, if there was one good thing about the war, it was the fact that those who had taken part in the final battle of the same had been allowed to enter the elite auror corps without going through the standard testing, though the training remained the same, after all, it would not do for the elite arm of magical law enforcement to be made up of barely legal teenagers who just had the good fortune of surviving the final battle of the Second Blood War.

It had been six years since the Battle of Hogwarts, and six years since Harry had joined the auror corps. In those six years, he had not been idle, and this is evidenced by the fact that even though he is only twenty four years of age, he is already the captain of one of four elite auror teams – more cutting edge than the other teams – that the Ministry had raised in the aftermath of the war.

Charged with only the most sensitive missions, this meant that the members of this team rarely go out into the field, and indeed, ever since he became a member of this team, Harry had not been asked to go out and patrol Diagon Alley. Although it may seem to be unfair to the others, the truth was that assignment with the elite teams meant more danger, because even now, six years after the end of the Second Blood War, there are still those followers of Voldemort that remained at large, striking at unsuspecting magical enclaves and sowing terror wherever they could.

Indeed, the last that Harry had heard, those followers of his nemesis that have survived had taken to mimicking the atrocities that are being committed in the non-magical world. The last time that he had been out on the field – just five weeks ago – was to arrest a follower of Voldemort that had managed to escape during the Battle of Hogwarts, and when he was arrested, he had a couple of million pounds with him, as well as detailed schematics of Heathrow Airport.

A detailed interrogation – with the use of veritaserum and other potions and spells – revealed that his intention was to use the imperius curse to take control of a couple of aircrews so that he could use passenger planes – filled with hundreds of people – as makeshift missiles against London.

Harry shook his head as he told himself that the man was also quite insane, sprouting pureblood doctrine and propaganda even when he had already been stuffed to his gills with truth serum. Had he been successful, he would have brought the wrath of the non-magical world upon the magical, and during the interrogation, the man had revealed that that was part of his intention, believing that when the non-magical world actively intervenes with the magical, he would have a cause to rally the others into resistance.

A headache actually threatened to form in the head of Harry at that moment as he remembered that the interference of the non-magical world with the magical world as a result of the Second Blood War was already driving a wedge between those who had won, with those who are firmly on the side of Light, but could be considered traditionalist chafing under the weight of the limitations that the non-magical government had given them.

As a case in point – and here, Harry unconsciously placed his right hand on his temple so that he could massage the same – would be that would-be terrorist that they had captured. He should have been executed or thrown into Azkaban at the least, but the wizard prison is all but abandoned, and execution was not something that the Ministry of Magic could do without the permission of the non-magical.

Once more, Harry allowed a sigh to escape from his lips. The limitations on the execution was actually something that Harry agreed with. During the reign of Voldemort, there had been thousands of executions, and the limitations that the non-magical world had insisted was meant to ensure that such an atrocity would not happen again.

The musings of Harry were interrupted a few moments later as he found himself standing in front of a desk. Behind the desk, an elderly man wearing a black robe – that marked him as a member of the Ministry Support Staff – was going through the latest edition of the Daily Prophet. He was obviously not paying attention to those coming and going as was supposed to be his job, but Harry could not exactly blame the man, after all, even before he was taken in by the Ministry – as a form of compensation – Stan Shunpike had been someone who had a limited attention span.

"Anything new today, Stan?" Harry suddenly asked.

The auror knew that his voice startled the guard, and if he was being honest, he would have to admit that that was exactly what he was aiming for. He could not help but smile – though ever so slightly – as the startled guard tried to get up on his feet when he saw Harry, but in trying to do so, he somehow managed to cross his legs and that caused him to stumble forward, hitting the desk in front of him and knocking it slightly out of position.

Stan would have had his face planted on the cobblestone floor in front of him if not for quick action on the part of Harry, who wordlessly shot a spell that was designed to arrest the forward momentum of the startled guard, preventing him from falling onto the floor.

Almost as fast as Harry had invoked the spell, he cancelled it, though by the time that he did so, Stan was already able to regain his balance, "Mr. Potter, sir," the guard said, his voice dripping with obvious awe that reminded Harry of a friend who had died during the war trying to rescue him and his other friends, though at that time, the auror forced himself to remain in the present and not to lose himself in the past.

It was a good thing that he did as well, because Stan soon announced that he actually had a message for the man in front of him, "Sir," the guard said, his voice still dripping with awe for the man in front of him – and Harry had to remind himself to ignore it despite his desire to call out the guard because of it.

Even if Harry had tried to tell Stan to stop what he was doing, he figured that he would not have been able to do so, because the guard continued, "The Minister had sent word that he wishes to speak with you as soon as you arrive," there was a brief pause and the look on the face of Stan told Harry that the man was trying to remember something.

Harry suspected that the guard was trying to remember the place where he is supposed to meet the Minister, and he was proven correct in that a few moments later when the man in front of him suddenly said, "Conference Room Ten, Sir."

The auror gave the security guard a nod and a polite smile before he politely inclined his head toward him, an unspoken indication that he would be going his way. Using his peripheral vision as he walked forward, Harry could see the guard – whom he first met as a third year student in Hogwarts – actually bow deep toward his direction, causing Harry to let out an exasperated sigh even as he forced himself to just ignore it.

Unlike the space in front of the desk of the guard, there were fewer people after the desk, but that was to expected, after all, the space after the desk is reserved for those who have an official business with the Ministry.

The destination of Harry was a set of lifts that were located a few meters away from where Stan was on duty, and as he was walking toward the lifts, he would have to walk beside the Fountain of Magical Brethren. As he did so, another headache threatened to erupt in his brain as he could not help but remember the fuss that he – and Hermione – had put up when the topic of the reconstruction of the statues had been brought up.

Harry and Hermione had argued that the Fountain should be modified in order to reflect the equal status of all creatures in the magical world, but those that prevailed were the more traditional members of the Light side, and because of that, the Fountain of Magical Brethren looked exactly as it was since the first time that Harry had first seen it, with wizards and witches superior to the other creatures that inhabit the magical world.

With a subtle shake of his head, the auror captain told himself that there would be some other time to argue about the propriety of that fountain, but as he did so, his mind could not help but bring up another episode concerning the Fountain.

Ginny – with whom Harry has been in a relationship since after the end of the war – had already dropped hints that she wants Harry to propose to her in front of the Fountain, exactly where the wizarding press – who were always on standby in front of the desk of the security guard – and those others who are working in the Ministry could see them. He suspected that it was an attempt on the part of the vivacious red-haired young woman to make the spectacle as public as possible, and that was exactly what Harry does not want, which was why he could not propose to her just yet.

In any case, Ginny was still at the prime of her sporting career, playing chaser for the Hollyhead Harpies. Even if she would be the spouse of the – arguably – most famous wizard in the world, Harry doubted that the owners of the team would allow her to get married just four years into her entering the team, especially when the Harpies actually stand a chance to win the league this year.

Harry did not notice the smile that appeared on his face as he was thinking about Ginny until a few moments later when he found himself in front of the lift, and even then, the only reason that he was able to notice the smile that was on his face would be because the shining brass surface of the lift doors reflected his face, showing him the goofy smile that was on his visage.

He was easily able to school his features, remaking them into a more neutral look, though even as he did that, he told himself that he did have a proper excuse for placing that stupid grin on his face, after all, Ginny had sent word last night that she and the team would be returning to London for a fortnight before they would be departing again for their next game. Ginny had suggested that they use that time to catch up with each other, and Harry had agreed.

As the sound of the lift once more tore the auror captain out of his reverie, Harry remembered that he had also suggested that she invite Ron and Hermione, though Harry was yet to receive a reply – or a confirmation in the case of Ron or Hermione – that his two best friends would be joining them for dinner tonight.

'_Might as well get this over with,_' Harry suddenly thought at the same time that he stepped into the lift, '_I wonder what Shack needs me for.'_

As the lift began to descend to the lowest levels of the Ministry, Harry forced his mind to shift into work mode, which meant that he would have to place Ginny and all other plans for the evening on one corner of his mind because he needed the forefront of his mind free to think about what it is that his ultimate boss would need him to do. It was not an easy process for Harry, but it was not his first time doing it, which was why by the time that the lift reached the floor that Harry had requested for, he was already ready to do whatever it is that the Minister would need him to do.

The conference rooms of the Ministry were actually converted from some courtrooms, which is why this is not the first time in the case of Harry that he is coming here. Indeed, the conference room where the conference would be held was actually the same one where he had his trial for underage magic after he defended himself from the Dementors prior to his fifth year.

Harry was not surprised that he is not the first person to be in the conference room – there were more than a dozen people already, seated scattered throughout the individual seats arranged into rows inside the room – though he was surprised to find that the two of the people who are already inside the conference room were seated at opposite ends of the first row when he would have expected them to be seated together, after all, he had asked his girlfriend to invite the two of them out to dinner tonight so that they could catch up.

It took Harry less than thirty seconds, however, to realize the reason why Ron and Hermione were not only seated at opposite ends of the first row, but also not even deigning to look at each other, even if those others who are in the room with them are showing a slight discomfort at what they are doing.

Harry walked over to the side of Hermione, and she turned her attention toward him, somehow sensing his approach. He was about to greet her when the beautiful witch – she had grown into one of the most beautiful women that Harry had ever seen in his life – suddenly stood from his seat and turn her complete attention toward Harry. The expression on her face told him that it would be in his best interest to wait for him to say what she wanted to say.

"Hello Harry," she said in a cool voice that made Harry flinch. While many people would characterize that cool tone that she had used as 'neutral', Harry knew her well enough to know that whenever Hermione uses that tone, she was actually pissed. If there was one thing, however, that Harry could use to calm himself, it was that it was obvious that she was not pissed at him.

Indeed, it was rather obvious as to who she is pissed at.

"I am afraid that I cannot join you for dinner tonight, though I thank you for the invitation," she said, and the fact that she increased the volume of her speech a notch or two told Harry that she was trying to ensure that Ron would hear her speak.

There was no need for that, because in this small room, there was no way that Ron would not be able to hear her speak, but as if to provide Harry with further proof, when he heard her girlfriend speak, Ron could not help but flinch at the same time that he turned his attention toward Harry, the expression on his face obviously one of the red-head begging his friend for some assistance.

Unfortunately, it was not assistance that Harry could give his best friend at that moment, especially since Harry agreed with the stance of Hermione in regards to what he is sure would be the argument that caused Hermione to be so angry with Ron at the moment.

In the years following after the Battle of Hogwarts, Hermione had chosen a career in law enforcement as well, but unlike Harry – or Ron – she did not become an auror, instead, she became a member of the staff of the Director for Magical Law Enforcement before her appointment as a prosecutor. Also unlike Harry and Ron, Hermione returned to Hogwarts to finish her seventh year and graduate properly.

It was during the Battle of Hogwarts that Ron and Hermione had first kissed, but in the years that followed since then, they could only maintain their relationship, and even then, Harry sometimes wondered if the only reason that they are doing it is because of the scandal that could break out should they suddenly break-up. There was no question that they have feelings for each other – hence, the reason why they always manage to find themselves back together despite the many arguments that they have, usually once a month – but despite that, neither Ron nor Hermione would talk about getting married.

Harry would admit that he thought that Ron was preparing to ask the question when he suggested that Hermione should come and live with him, but Hermione turned down that offer as she valued having her own flat that she could leave and return to as she wished. She had a good reason for that as well, because her work at the Ministry would sometimes require her to stay behind or even to come early, but then Ron did the ultimate faux-pas – at least when it comes to Hermione – when he suggested that she should just quit her job.

The row that the two of them had was so serious that Harry – and the other members of the Weasley family as well as their other friends – had to intervene. Last that Harry had heard, the two of them had decided to put that into the past and work into finding a solution together, but it would appear that all that hard work has again been put into waste, leading Harry to wonder exactly what had happened.

A sigh escaped from the lips of Harry – though he tried his best to make sure that Hermione would not notice it – before he reminded himself that it was not really something that he should pry into. Besides, he was more than sure that Hermione would tell him everything as soon as she can, even if he did not want to hear anything.

"I'll give Ginny your regards," Harry said.

Harry knew her well enough to be sure that Hermione would give him one of her lovely smiles as well as a message of regret in light of the fact that she could not join them for dinner this evening, and if he was being honest, Harry would have to admit that he was looking forward to seeing that smile, but at that moment, the doors leading to a small antechamber to the side of the conference room – which Harry was informed was the chambers of the judge back when this place was a courtroom – banged open, forcing him and Hermione – and everyone else in the room – to turn their attention toward that direction.

He turned his attention just in time to see Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic, enter the conference room. The dark-skinned, bald Minister of Magic, however, was not the only person to enter the conference room via that door, which surprised Harry, especially when he realized that the man following after the Minister of Magic was actually someone whom he had never seen before.

What was even more surprising for Harry was that the man that was accompanying the Minister was not dressed in robes. Instead, he was wearing a two piece suit, and he was carrying a leather briefcase with his left hand, though what really made Harry stare at him was the way that he carried himself. It took the war veteran a few moments to realize that while this unknown man looked as if he was calm and relaxed, he was also looking around him, ready to spring into action at the slightest provocation.

It disturbed Harry a bit as he realized that the reason that he had to note that was because this man reminded the auror captain of himself, which meant that this man is most likely a war veteran himself. Judging from the clothes that he was wearing, he is not a citizen of Magical Britain – or any county in that magical world for that matter – but he looks British enough, which left Harry with only one reasonable conclusion.

"British Armed Forces," Hermione suddenly said, and her words made Harry turn his complete attention toward her as he agreed with her, indeed, that was exactly what was on the mind of Harry.

The auror captain returned his attention toward the direction of the Minister and the man that had accompanied him, and by doing so, he nearly missed another person entering the room. It was purely by chance that his peripheral vision was still focused on that direction, though he was soon forced to turn his complete attention back toward the door after he had first glimpsed the young woman that had entered the room after the Minister and his companion.

Harry found himself staring at the beautiful red-head that entered the room, though he had enough presence of mind that he was able to note that, like the man that accompanied the Minister, she was wearing non-magical clothes. The pantsuit that she was wearing did nothing to flatter her, but Harry needed only to look at her pretty face to know that she is a striking woman.

"Seats," the voice of the Minister tore Harry out of his reverie at the same time that it forced him to turn his attention toward the direction of where the Minister had placed himself. Unlike before, there was no raised platform in this room anymore, which meant that the Minister was the same level as Harry and the others when he spoke, and this allowed him to glare toward the direction of Harry, something that Harry had never seen the Minister do before, and that, more than anything, convinced the auror captain that whatever the reason for Shack calling for them was, it would have to be serious.

Deciding that he would speak with Ron as soon as he could, Harry took the seat next to Hermione, at the same time that he noted that it was not only he who was being glared at by the Minister, because Shacklebolt turned his attention toward those others who are already in the room but who are yet to take a seat. Still, almost everyone inside the room knew that it would not be in their best interest to piss off the Minister, which was why they all went ahead to find a comfortable seat.

"I am afraid that I am going to have to ask you to cancel whatever it is that you had set up with your girlfriend tonight, Auror Captain," the Minister said a few moments later. He had waited until everyone had taken their seats before he turned his complete attention toward Harry, and because of the words that the Minister had used, Harry found himself staring toward the direction of the Minister.

Before Harry could even realize it, his jaw was already hanging open. He was about to close it so that he could speak and complain about the Minister suddenly telling him to cancel his ate, but just as he was about to once more open his mouth and push words out of the same, the Minister cut him off again, "I would not have asked you to do that if I did not think that the situation would warrant it, Harry," he said, and this time, he said that in a calmer voice that did much to assuage the anger that Harry felt at that moment.

"Unfortunately," the Minister continued, and this time, he was addressing everyone in the conference room rather than just Harry, "We have a situation, and I am not the only one who thinks that it is enough of a situation that we would need all of you here."

Harry saw him incline his head politely toward the direction of the man that had accompanied him into the room, and because he did that, Harry was forced to turn his attention toward the direction of the man. The auror captain noted that the red-headed woman who entered after the Minister had actually joined the other man which, if Harry was being honest ,was something that would have to admit was actually expected.

It was also obvious that the two of them are non-magicals, though before Harry could follow up with that line of thought, the Minister – though there was no way that the Minister could actually read the mind of Harry, not with the mind shields of the auror captain – spared Harry from having to do so when he announced, "This is a problem in the muggle world, but we are involved in it as well."

With those words, the Minister had practically announced that the two people in the room that he had inclined his head toward are representatives of the non-magical government, though the exact reason as to why they are here was still something that was open to speculation. Still, Harry knew for a fact that they would soon be informed of the reason why the man is here, and he was correct in that when, using his peripheral vision, he saw the Minister nod toward the direction of the man.

"Sir Matthew, please," the Minister said.

Harry still had most of his attention turned toward the black-haired gentleman, which was why he did not miss it when he suddenly stood from where he was seated. He had no doubt that every pair of eyes inside the room turned toward the direction of the man as he made his way toward the direction where the Minister had been, though Harry saw that the Minister had moved to the side in order to allow this representative from the non-magical government to take the podium.

The man called 'Sir Matthew' and the Minister did not shake hands, which somehow disappointed Harry as he expected that they would, though the fact that the Minister and the representative did not shake hands may have more to do with Shacklebolt moving to the side even as the representative was making his way to the podium. Harry noted that the representative was also not disturbed by the fact that the Minister had already moved, which told the auror captain that he expected the Minister to move the way that he did.

Harry mentally shook his head at the same time that he reminded himself that he should not have expected the Minister to act like a politician, after all, while Kingsley had taken the top position as Minister of Magic, it was mostly because he was the most senior member of the Ministry left that had fought for the side of the Light. In other words, there was no one else who can take the position, which was why he took the position.

Kingsley had been forced to act like a politician many times since he had taken the post, but that was mostly because he had to, and Harry would have to admit that seeing his old friend not acting like a politician was actually something that he missed.

The musings of the auror captain was once more interrupted by the voice of someone, though this time, the person who spoke was the representative of the muggle government, Sir Matthew.

"Ladies and gentlemen, good morning," the man said. If there was any doubt as to his roots, it was dispelled when he spoke, though by this time, the roots of the man were already something that was of no consequence to Harry.

He did use his peripheral vision to see the visage of Hermione, and he was not surprise to note that the brunette witch was paying attention to the man in front of them. He could not help but smile in response to the expression on the face of Hermione, and not for the first time, he wondered if he really would be doing himself – and Hermione and Ron – a favor if he would not interfere with the relationship of his two best friends.

Even Harry would have to admit that he saw the slope that he was about to fall into in regards to the thoughts that were on his mind at that moment, but even if that were the case, he continued to plough on with his thoughts. He was, however, thankful – though it took him a few moments to realize that – when he was forced out of his reverie by the voice of Sir Matthew as he continued, "My name is Matthew Cavanaugh, and I am from the Ministry of Defense."

Hermione fidgeted slightly in response to her hearing the office where the man came from, though even if she fidgeted only slightly, Harry was close enough to her that he felt her movement. He knew better than to ask her what was wrong, however, and instead, he forced himself to pay attention to the man in front of them.

"Approximately twenty hours ago, there was an incident at RNAD Coulport," Sir Matthew said. He paused after he said that, and Harry suspected that the reason that he did was so that he could allow those who are listening to him to fully digest the information that he had just given them.

Unfortunately, Sir Matthew seem to have forgotten that he was speaking with members of the Ministry of Magic, which meant that they have no idea what he was talking about, indeed, Harry suspected that almost every person in the conference room at that moment do not even know where 'RNAD Coulport' is, though when Harry turned his attention toward Hermione with the intention of asking her if she knew what the man was talking about, the look of horror on her face was all that Harry needed to see in order to know that Hermione believes this incident to be frightening enough that she placed that look on her pretty visage.

Concern lit up the face of Harry, but just as he was about to ask Hermione what was wrong, Sir Matthew again spoke, forcing him to turn his attention away from Hermione and back toward the representative of the muggle Ministry of Defense.

"Although we had not yet confirmed the exact measurements of the missing material, we have reason to believe that unknown malefactors were able to escape from one of the most secure facilities of the Royal Navy, almost undetected, with about thirty kilograms of weaponized nuclear material," Sir Matthew said.

Harry would have to admit that he had no idea what the significance of RNAD Coulport is, but after the words that have escaped from the mouth of Sir Matthew, he would have to admit that he now understood the reason why Hermione had a horrified look on her pretty face.

Like Hermione, Harry was raised in the muggle world, and he knew exactly what weaponized nuclear material means. A quick glance toward the other members of the Ministry of Magic who were inside the room was all that Harry needed to do in order to realize that while there are those who understood the implication of the words that Sir Matthew had just uttered, quite a few had blank looks on their faces.

Indeed, it was Ron who appointed himself as their speaker, and Harry fought the urge to place hit his face with the palm of his hand. Ron raised his hand and waved it much like how he would have done it if he wanted to call for attention. Of course, at that moment, that was exactly what Ron wanted to do, and when Sir Matthew turned his attention toward the red-headed vice-captain of one of the most elite auror teams of the Ministry, Ron asked, "What is this new-clear material? And why is this a problem for our world?"

Harry did not think that it was possible for Hermione to place a more horrified look on her pretty face, but that was exactly what she had on her face as she regarded her boyfriend. That horrified look, however, barely lasted five seconds before it was replaced by a look of anger, and Harry got the impression that she would have launched a broadside of tirades against Ron had he not stopped her at that moment.

"Hermione," Harry warned her, and that was more than enough to make the pretty brunette paused.

At the same time, the auror captain was using his peripheral vision to watch the reaction of Sir Matthew. He had not expected the reaction of the representative of the non-magical government, though in hindsight, he told himself that he should have, because in reaction to the ignorance that Ron had just displayed, Sir Matthew had turned his attention toward the Minister, and Harry could see the surprised look on his face.

Eventually, Sir Matthew turned his attention toward Ron and he let out a theatrical sigh that conveyed his contempt for the red-head at that moment, though Harry was quite certain that it was not only to Ron that that contempt that Sir Mathew was feeling at that moment was directed to.

Still, Harry was spared from having to think that when the representative of the muggle government continued, "The material stolen from Coulport is more than enough to manufacture a small nuclear weapon," he said, "Enough that if one were to be detonated in Kings Cross Station, everything surrounding the station, up to a radius of about thirty kilometers, would be obliterated."

The look on the face of Ron – and indeed, on the faces of those others who had not taken the time to study the muggle world – was one of disbelief. There are even those who looked as if they are ready to challenge Sir Matthew in regards to the words that he had used, but most of them turned their attention toward Harry who, by chance, was glaring toward the direction of Ron as he could not stop himself from being angry at his best friend because of his ignorance.

A sigh from the direction of Sir Matthew defused the situation at that moment because it forced everyone to turn their attention back toward him. Harry was included in that number, though he was one of the last to turn his attention because he was still glaring toward the direction of Ron.

By the time that Harry was able to focus his attention toward the man in front of them, Sir Matthew was already speaking, "As to why this is a concern for the magical world," he began, and once more, Harry was able to detect the faintest sense of contempt for the magical world in his voice, "well, we found eight of these inside the decapitated body of one of our sailors assigned to guard the facility."

At that moment, Sir Matthew placed his briefcase on the podium in front of him, and he opened it in front of everyone before he retrieved something from it. The eyes of Harry – and indeed, the eyes of everyone in the room, save for the Minister who had probably already seen it – widened as they found themselves staring at what could only be a wand.

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**PROJECT 19A708C OPERATION HERMIONE Page 15**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: This is a **fan-fiction work**. The events depicted herein **did not happen** and **will not happen** in real life. The Author of this work **does not claim** to own the **Harry Potter**** Universe** or the copyright of the same. Any character that appears in this work **that may resemble a real person**, living or dead, **is not intended to represent such person**, and **any and all resemblance to such person is purely coincidental**. Please note that **some of the actions depicted in this work may be illegal** and **should not be imitated in real life**.

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**HARRY POTTER AND THE KNIGHTS OF WALSINGHAM**

**TWO**

Harry stared at the wand that Sir Matthew had retrieved from within the briefcase that he had carried with him when he went to the podium that the Minister had just evacuated. To the auror captain, it felt as if the man in front of them was using the wand that he was displaying to them as proof of the complicity of the ministry in particular – and the magical world in general – with what had happened that had caused him to come here in the first place.

There was no look of hostility on the part of the man as he displayed the wand that he had retrieved, and Harry was forced to ask himself exactly why he felt as if the man in front of them was accusing them of being complicit with the theft by simply showing the wand. Indeed, Sir Matthew turned his attention away from his audience a few moments later so that he could turn it back toward the briefcase that he was carrying, and he returned the wand that he had retrieved inside the same.

The position that Harry was in prevented him from actually seeing what was inside the briefcase, but despite the fact that he felt as if the representative of the muggle government had just wordlessly accused them of being complicit with the theft of highly sensitive material, there was nothing else that would give Harry the basis with which to doubt the words that had just escaped from the mouth of the man, which meant that as far as Harry was concerned, even if Sir Matthew had not actually shown them the contents of the briefcase, there was no doubt that he was speaking the truth.

A quick glance toward the direction of the Minister was all that Harry needed to do in order to see that Shacklebolt was staring at the direction of the representative of the muggle government with a serious expression. It was not exactly the expression that Harry would have expected to see upon the face of his friend if the Minister had truly believed that Sir Matthew was not being serious with them, and that look on the face of the Minister added more to the credibility of Sir Matthew.

The auror captain returned his attention toward the man in front of him, and he turned his attention toward Sir Matthew just in time to see him turn his attention toward the direction of Ron. This time, the look of irritation on the face of the man was quite obvious as he stared at Ron, but if he were to be honest with himself, Harry realized that he could not blame the representative of the muggle government.

If those wands were indeed found in the scene of the crime, then it is highly likely – indeed it was almost impossible for the opposite to be true – that members of the magical world had taken part in the theft of the nuclear material.

Harry could also forgive Sir Matthew for acting the way that he did – with the hostility that he had already shown – when the auror captain realized that the man is tasked with retrieving material that is the core of the most dangerous weapons ever devised by human hands – magical or otherwise.

A shudder went up the spine of Harry as he realized that, as fearsome as Voldemort may have been, he at least did not have the power to destroy an entire city in the blink of an eye. Indeed, he actually found himself thankful that the most recent Dark Lord in British history had held the muggles in so much contempt that he never thought of crossing over the line and obtaining muggle weaponry for himself and his followers.

The Dark Lord that came before Voldemort had made no attempt on his own to obtain nuclear weapons as well, but that may have something to do with the fact that Grindelwald rose to power – and was defeated – before and during the Second World War, which meant that by the time that he was defeated by the mentor of Harry, the world had yet to enter the nuclear age, though there is evidence to believe that the German Dark Lord had visions of the nuclear age.

In the aftermath of the war with Grindelwald, the magical world attempted to increase the divide between the magical and the muggle worlds, which meant that the development of nuclear weapons and the fact that they could destroy the world was largely ignored by the magical world. That, of course, would also explain the apparent lack of knowledge of Ron – and the other magical world raised in the conference room – as to the destructive potential of the missing nuclear material.

Harry forced himself to return to the present at that moment. Taking into consideration the ignorance of the magical world in regards to muggle weaponry, he would have to admit that he found it hard to believe that there are magicals who would orchestrate such theft, yet the fact that wands had been left in the site – at least according to the report of Sir Matthew – could be taken as conclusive that magicals were, at the least, involved in the incident.

Right now, however, the background of the person or persons who had stolen the material is a secondary matter. The fact that there are wands in the crime scene had given the muggle government the excuse that they need to find the culprit, and Harry realized that even if the perpetrators were not from their world, they would still offer their assistance given the sensitivity of the stolen material.

He doubted if his colleagues would understand that, though he vowed that he would make them as soon as he is able.

He glanced toward the direction of Hermione and saw that she was also deep in thought. If he did not think that it was inappropriate, Harry would have smiled there and then as he considered that his best friend was now thinking of the possibilities, and because of the raw power of the mind of Hermione, the auror captain knew for a fact that she would come up with more plausible possibilities as to the presence of the wands at the scene of the crime.

There was one thing, however, that Harry could contribute at that moment, and at that thought entered the forefront of his mind, the auror captain turned his attention toward the direction of the representative of the muggle government who had remained silent, seemingly allowing his revelation to make the most impact upon those that are present in the conference room.

It was Harry who broke the silence that had descended into the room, though before he could speak, he raised his hand to indicate that he wished to do so. He was relieved to see that his action caused the man in front of him to turn his attention toward Harry, though before Sir Matthew could say anything, the auror captain said, "Excuse me, Sir Matthew, but have these wands been cross-checked against the Registry?"

The Registry that Harry was referring to was something that Hermione had suggested during her first ever day at work. Using the argument that a wand is far more than just a useful tool, she was able to convince the Wizengamot to pass legislation requiring that all wands then being used in the Magical United Kingdom be registered with the Ministry.

Under the old regime, the wards that are used to monitor the use of underage magic was limited to the use of the magic itself, something that Harry was painfully aware of given his experience with Dobby prior to his second year at Hogwarts.

In the proposal of Hermione, the magical signature of the registered wand would also be recorded and monitored, and while it does not discount the possibility that the wand was used by someone else, at least there would be a starting point in the investigation, which would be the person who is the registered owner of the wand in question.

There were many who had resisted the effort, but at the end of the day – and through some rather clever manipulating on the part of the DMLE – a reasonable number of wands had been registered.

They had even managed to convince the biggest wand-makers in Britain to turn over a copy of their own sales registry, which meant that they have a rough idea of who brought which wand even before the Registry was brought to life.

Of particular interest to those behind the Registry would be the wands of those that have fought at the side of the Dark during the Second Blood War, and because they had been of particular interest, most of the attention fell on them. There are claims that most of them still have unregistered wands, and it is possible that those unregistered are the ones that are now in the hands of Sir Matthew, but even if that would be the case, then at least the pool of suspects could be narrowed.

There is also the chance that the wands in question could actually belong to people who had registered the same, which would make the job of Harry and the other investigating teams easier. Of course, the fact that they are here right now would indicate that that is not the case, and that was something that the Minister himself confirmed a few moments later.

"Unfortunately," the Minister began, and his words made everyone in the room – not just Harry – turn their attention toward the direction of the dark-skinned Minister. Harry, for his part, turned his attention to the Minister just in time to watch as he said, "We know who the wands belong to."

There was actually a collective sigh of relief that escaped from the lips of most of the wizards and witches inside the room. Harry could not blame them, after all, the Minister had just announced that they actually know who their primary suspects are.

Harry, Hermione, and some of those who are the most experienced aurors and investigators in the conference room, however, are not among those who had let out a sigh of relief at the announcement of their Minister, after all, the Minister had said that it was 'unfortunate' that they know who the owners of the wands are, which meant that there is a complication with the identities of the owners.

That complication was revealed by the Minister a few moments later, "Of the eight wands that were found at the scene of the crime, two belonged to people who were killed during the Second Blood War," the Minister said, "Three belonged to people who are believed to have been killed during the War, while the remaining three belonged to people who have survived the War but who have claimed that their wands had been taken from them during the course of the same," there was a brief pause before the Minister added, "All three are underage students during the War."

'_Which meant that there is little chance that they have fought with Voldemort during the War itself,'_ Harry thought, yet if he was being honest, he would have to admit that he had entertained the possibility that the wands would be stolen from their rightful owners.

After all, no criminal worth his salt would leave behind evidence that could be traced back to him.

"Then, is it not obvious that it is the former Death Eaters who are behind this?" the voice of Ron tore Harry out of his reverie.

Even Harry could not understand the feeling of horror that he felt in the aftermath of the words that have escaped from the mouth of his other best friend. By chance, he glanced toward the direction of Hermione and saw that unlike him, she had not even bothered to hide the look of horror on her face.

It took Harry a few moments to realize what the reason behind the horrified feeling was, though it was Hermione who voice out those thoughts, "We cannot jump to conclusions," she said in a forceful tone that Harry imagined would be right at home in a court of law, "Especially not when such conclusions could lead to unwarranted persecution."

Ron turned his attention toward Hermione, "Come on, Herms…," he began. He paused a few moments later when he saw the glare that his girlfriend was giving him, and he could not help but flinch before he amended his words, "There are no other suspects and they are the only ones who would do something like this."

'_No, they are actually the ones that we can probably rule out almost immediately,'_ Harry thought, though he did not voice that out loud. The reason for that would be the fact that the former Death Eaters are all purist purebloods who have no idea of the things that had been accomplished in the muggle world. Unless they have been incredibly lucky, they should have no idea what the purpose of the stolen material would be.

A quick glance toward the direction of Hermione was all that Harry needed to do in order to realize that she was thinking along the same lines as him. She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could push the words out through her lips, Ron cut her off.

"Minister," Ron suddenly said, turning his attention toward Shacklebolt who responded to the fact that his attention was being called for by turning his own attention toward Ron. This, in turn, allowed Ron to continue with his proposal, "Please give us permission to raid the mansions and hovels of the 'former' Death Eaters."

Even Harry could see the quotation marks around the word 'former' when his best friend spoke.

A quick glance toward the other members of law enforcement in the conference room told Harry that a majority of them agreed with the suggestion of Ron. As Harry would have expected, however, Hermione was not among them, and the beautiful brunette did not bother to fury on her face as she turned to regard Ron, "Under what basis?" she asked.

Harry knew her well enough to be sure that if they were in a relatively private setting, she would already be shrieking. Despite the look of anger that was already on her pretty visage, Hermione was at least able to keep herself from advertising her anger when she asked that question.

"We have wands stolen during the War at the scene of the crime," Ron replied, and Harry also knew him well enough to know that his red-headed friend was also beginning to lose his temper. In the case of Ron, the color red beginning to take over his face was a tell-tale sign, "They are the only ones who could have done it."

Hermione dismissed the claim of her boyfriend, "Death Eaters were not the only ones to procure wands that were not theirs during the War," Hermione replied.

There was evidently something in the words that Hermione had just uttered that made Ron see red. The youngest Weasley male of his generation did not even bother to lower his voice as he asked, "Are you implying that we stole wands during the War?"

If he did not think it was inappropriate, Harry would have punched his friend there and then. As it stands, at that moment, he actually wanted to cradle his temple with both of his hands. It would appear that Ron had forgotten some of the things that they had done while they were on the hunt for the Horcruxes on what was supposed to be their seventh and final year at Hogwarts.

"I don't know," Hermione suddenly replied with a sickly sweet voice that should have alerted those who knew her that she was being sarcastic, "Did we use wands that were not ours during the War, Harry?"

If he was being honest, Harry would admit that he did not like the fact that he was being dragged into what he would have labeled as a row between Ron and Hermione. The fact that he did not like it, however, would not hide the fact that he was already involved, and a few moments later, he let out an exasperated sigh before he stood and turned to face Ron, "We used wands that were not ours during the Hunt, Ron."

Harry did not think that it was possible for the face of his other best friend to become redder than it already was. In an obvious attempt o save his face, the red-headed auror blurted out, "That was different…"

Before he could finish what he wanted to say, Hermione interrupted him again, "How is that different?" she asked. Ron looked ready to say something, but she cut him off, "And don't you dare say that it is different because they are Death Eaters and we are not."

The look on the face of Ron was all that Harry needed to see in order to conclude that that was exactly what Ron was about to say. Left with no rebuttal, Ron wisely chose to not say anything, though from the look on his face, it was obvious that he wanted to continue the argument.

His decision not to say anything was probably helped by the fact that a few moments after Hermione had spoken, Harry turned to face his red-headed best friend, and as their eyes met, the black-haired auror captain did his best to convey to Ron – without the use of words – that it would be in his best interest to shut up at that moment.

Harry could not be sure if his attempt had been successful, but at least Ron backed down a few moments later.

Sir Matthew reminded every single one of them that he was still in the room when he spoke a full thirty seconds after the argument between Ron and Hermione had ended, "While I do agree that there is a need for us to have a reason to conduct raids," he began, "In this case, I do think that we have enough reason to ask for a proper search warrant."

Hermione turned her attention toward the representative of the muggle government, "No," she replied, "If we can take the fact that these wands were stolen at the height of the war as our only basis to issue warrants, we would be setting a precedent against the Death Eater families."

A smile formed on the face of Sir Matthew as he said, "I was under the impression that they are not friends of yours, Miss Granger."

Hermione replied rather curtly, "I am not, and that is exactly the reason why I would prefer that we follow the rules before we drop the hammer on them."

The words that escaped from the lips of his female best friend was not enough for Harry to conclude as to whether she truly believed that the Death Eaters have something to do with the theft of the nuclear material or not. He decided that he would have to talk with her about it as soon as he could find the chance to do so.

"In a related note, Sir Matthew," Hermione suddenly said, once more forcing Harry to return his attention toward Hermione, "Can we visit the scene of the crime?"

There was a brief pause on the part of the representative of the muggle government, and Harry caught him turn his attention toward the red-haired woman that had entered the conference room after Sir Matthew and the Minister.

It was only at that moment when Sir Matthew turned his attention toward the woman that Harry remembered that she had not actually been introduced, and the way that Sir Matthew turned her attention toward her convinced the auror captain that Sir Matthew had no intention to introduce the woman to them. Still, she gave him a nod a few moments later, and the representative of the muggle government turned to regard Hermione.

"That should not be a problem," Sir Matthew replied, but then he quickly added, "Given the national security considerations in regards to the location, however, we would prefer it if you would limit the number of people who would be entering the scene."

Before Hermione could reply, the Minister reentered the conversation, "We would have Auror Captain Potter, Auror Weasley, and Miss Granger with four others enter the scene," he said in a tone that announce that he would broker no argument in regards to his decision.

Harry knew that he was always going to be a part of the team that would be sent to inspect the site, and since Hermione was the one who made the suggestion, it was also a given that she would be a part of the team, though if he was being honest, the auror captain would have to admit that he found the decision of the Minister to include Ron in the inspecting team as rather odd.

The reason for that would be because Ron had already expressed his ignorance in regards to the importance of the missing items, but then again, Harry realized that that is probably the reason why the Minister had appointed Ron.

"Sir Matthew," the Minister suddenly said, and before anyone could say anything, he added, "Please tell them about Contingency Sabre."

Harry could see the look of surprise that appeared on the face of the representative of the muggle government, but he was hardly the only one who was surprised by the request of the Minister because when he glanced toward the direction of the other representative, Harry caught her flinch, leading him to conclude that even she was surprised by the request.

"Are you sure that you want to reveal that?" Sir Matthew suddenly asked.

The Minister did not verbally reply to the question of Sir Matthew, instead, he simply nodded his head. Despite that, Sir Matthew hesitated for a full ten seconds before he turned to regard the others in the conference room, though for Harry, it looked as if the muggle representative was staring straight at him as he said, "Given the relative seriousness of the situation that we are in, Her Majesty's Government had decided to place Contingency Sabre on standby, just in case there is a need to resort upon the same."

Harry noted that he did not actually say anything in regards to what 'Contingency Sabre' actually is, something that Hermione picked up on rather easily, because she was the one who called him out on it, "Exactly what is this Contingency Sabre, Sir Matthew?" she asked.

Again, the representative of the muggle government hesitated, but after a few moments, he finally replied, "It is the deployment of non-magical assets in the magical world," he said. Harry found that there was something wrong with that statement, especially since it would be impossible to do as Sir Matthew had said, considering that the Statute of Secrecy prevented the same, though before he could say anything about it, Sir Matthew continued, "To do so would require that we void, or suspend, some parts of the Statute of Secrecy."

Harry was the only one who was stunned by that announcement, and in this case, even Hermione could do nothing but stare at the man in front of them. Predictably, however, it was Ron who recovered first, and it was also quite predictable that his reaction was one of indignation. The red-headed auror stood from his seat and regarded the representative of the muggle government in front of him.

"What?" he asked in a tone that advertised the fact that he did not believe that that was even possible. He had also not bothered to lower his voice when he asked that question, though he was able to continue speaking only because there was no one who could tell him to stop given that everyone else was too stunned by the announcement to stop him, "You can't do that."

This time, it was the turn of Sir Matthew to lose his patience, and much like Ron, he did not bother to hide his indignation as he regarded the red-head in front of him, "There is a clause in the Statute that says that the problems of the magical world should remain in the magical world," he said, "We have had cause to break the Treaty since even before the Second World War, but we chose not to on the apparently mistaken assumption that you could fix your own problems."

Harry was certain that the glare that appeared on the face of Sir Matthew was not directed toward him, but even if that was the case, even he could not help but flinch – and in the case of Ron, he actually took a step back, crashing against the chair that he had so recently just stood from with an audible sound – as the representative of the muggle government added, "Now we find ourselves with a situation that could see the destruction of an entire city and millions of lives lost because you failed to keep your own problems within your own borders."

Sir Matthew turned his attention away from Ron at that moment, but even if the glare that was still on his face lost some of its intensity, it was obvious that the next words that came out of his mouth were still a warning, "I do not know when and how the Contingency would be placed into effect, but I do know that Her Majesty is serious in regards to that, so I suggest we work together to find the persons responsible for this mess as soon as possible, and the sooner that we find them, the sooner that we can get out of your hair."

"There is something off about that man," Harry heard his friend say as he turned the knob on the door that would lead them to the office that they share with the sixty or so other active duty aurors of the Ministry. Harry pretended not to hear the words that have escaped from the mouth of his friend as he pushed the door open, but he could not continue to pretend that that is the case when Ron addressed him directly, "You must have felt it too, right, mate?"

Harry did not bother to hide the sigh that escaped from his mouth in reaction to the words that have escaped from the mouth of Ron. As he crossed the threshold separating the interior of the office from the hallway that would lead them back to the conference room – where they had left Hermione so that she could coordinate with Sir Matthew and his companion in regards to visiting the scene of the crime – he turned his attention toward his friend and asked in a serious tone, "Are you sure you are not just being biased because he called you out on something?"

The auror captain could see the color red spreading on the face of his friend, a tell-tale sign that when Harry asked that question, Ron felt a spark of anger, but after a few moments, the color red withdrew from the face of his friend, and Harry knew that he was barely controlling himself from losing his temper. The fact that he was speaking with Harry, the auror captain knew, was a factor that made Ron control his temper faster than he usually would have.

"That may have something to do with it," the red-head auror admitted a few moments later. Harry did not need to turn his attention toward his friend to know that he was embarrassed, and as was typical of Ron, when he felt embarrassed, he sought his best to change the topic, "But you have to admit that there was something strange about him."

As the two of them were talking, they were walking toward their own designated offices. As an auror captain, Harry had been given his own personal office which he shared with no one. Ron is an auror lieutenant which meant that he would usually have to share an office with another, but because of his clout as one of those that had played a direct role in the downfall of Voldemort, the Ministry had seen fit to assign him his own office.

Another sigh escaped from the lips of Harry before he paused, forcing Ron to stop beside him. The auror captain turned his attention toward his best friend – and technically, his subordinate – and before Ron could say anything, Harry asked, "What about him is strange?"

The look on the face of Harry told him that Ron could not answer the question that he had posed, but even if that is the case, it was exactly that same look that was on the face of Ron that told him that his red-headed friend was convinced that he was correct when he said that there was something off about representative of the muggle government.

"I can't quite put a finger on it, mate," Ron admitted a few moments later, "But I tell you, there is something off about him."

Ron briefly paused and Harry allowed him the silence so that his friend could come up with a more plausible explanation other than his gut feelings. Harry realized, however, that he may be expecting too much from his male best friend, and that was something that he felt was proven a few moments later when rather than giving him a more concrete explanation, Ron suddenly said, "When I look at him while he speaks, I felt as if I was seated against a chess grandmaster."

Harry actually let out an exasperated sigh before he turned his attention away from Ron, turning it instead back toward the direction of his office. His intention was to resume walking to his office, and indeed, he had already taken his first step, but at that precise moment, Ron suddenly grabbed one of his arms, forcing the auror captain to once more pause and return his attention toward his friend.

The auror captain could honestly say that he had seen Ron sporting a serious look on his face before, but when he turned to look at the face of his friend at that moment, he was certain that it was the most serious look that Ron had ever had on his face since Harry had made his acquaintance and became his friend when they were both eleven years old.

"I'm serious, Harry," the red-head said, and his use of the proper name of Harry rather than the terms of endearment that he usually use when speaking with either Harry or Hermione did much to convince the auror captain that his friend was being serious, though before Harry could say anything, Ron quickly added, "Its like I am playing against someone who already knows what my move would be before I could even decide."

Harry actually allowed himself a short laugh before he asked, "If you do not even know what move you are going to make, how does he already know how you are going to move?"

Ron did not reply to the question, but the serious look on the face of his friend was more than enough to convince Harry that he needs to change the topic fast, before Ron decides to sprout off some more nonsense that could see their working relationship with Sir Matthew and his people ruined. If the man was being serious with having the option to void the Statute of Secrecy, then it would be in their best interest to maintain that working relationship with the man.

Unfortunately, there was only one topic that Harry could think of at that moment that would be of sufficient interest to Ron. It was also a topic that Harry did not want to talk about given that it is a private matter between Ron and Hermione.

"What did you do this time?" he asked his friend. He could see the confused expression on the face of Ron, prompting Harry to continue, "Why did Hermione looked as if she wanted to curse you when I arrived at the conference room this morning?"

This time, it was the turn of Ron to let out a sigh, "She was being mental," he replied. Apparently, he thought that would be enough of a reason for Harry because he did not say anything for a good five seconds. Ron was quick to realize that Harry was not satisfied with the answer that he had given, though then again, that may have something to do with the stare that Harry gave his friend in response to the words of Ron.

The look on that Harry gave Ron prompted the red-head auror to let out another sigh, but before Harry could say anything, Ron added, "I asked her to move in with me, you know,"

Harry let out a sigh even if he did not want to as he told himself that, in retrospect, he should have realized that that would be the reason behind the row. He told himself that he could not even label this row as recent given that Ron and Hermione had been at this topic for three months now. The last row that they had – before, apparently, this one – had been so bad that Hermione had threatened to break-up with Ron should he bring it up again, leading Harry to wonder what had changed that caused Ron to bring up the topic again.

There was not even a need on the part of Harry to ask Ron how Hermione had responded to the suggestion of Ron, and at that thought entered the forefront of the mind of the auror captain, he could not help but let out another sigh.

In the immediate aftermath of the War – indeed, even before the dust had settled and they had finished counting the dead – Hermione had left for Australia to see to her parents. She had not said anything about it to either Harry or Ron – and Harry suspected that she had not said anything about it to anyone – but while she was successful in bringing her parents back, something about her relationship with them had changed.

It had changed so much that Hermione had opted to rent a flat of her own rather than return under the roof of her parents, and while most would say that it was probably because Hermione had grown up, those who knew Hermione had long realized that that was not actually the case. For one thing, Harry knew for a fact that Hermione visits her parents only once or twice a month.

It would not have taken a genius to know that whatever change in relationship had occurred between Hermione and her parents, it had something to do with the War.

Ron had already seen fit to complain to Harry – and anyone who would listen – that he had never been introduced to the parents of Hermione as her boyfriend, and that was another topic that caused a row between the two of them.

"I just do not understand what it is about moving in with me that angers her so much," Ron said.

Harry turned to regard him with a baleful look, but it was obvious even to him that Ron had not even seen the menacing look that Harry was giving him, causing the auror captain to subtly shake his head.

Like Hermione, Ron had also moved out of his parents home, though he did so after he had become financially stable. It was not as if Ron had asked Hermione to move in with him while he was still billeted in the Burrow because he only asked recently, so being forced to live in the Burrow is not the reason why Hermione had not responded favorably with the proposal of Ron.

Then again, it may also have something to do with Ron running back to the Burrow every chance he could get.

At that moment, the door to the aurors office opened again, and both Harry and Ron turned their attention toward the direction of the same just in time to watch as Hermione entered the room. She turned to regard the two of them before a weird expression appeared on her face, and Harry noticed that she was intentionally ignoring Ron, "Good, you're here," she said, giving Harry a nod that made him frown, though before he could act on the same, Hermione continued, "I need to talk to you and your companion about visiting the scene of the crime."

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**E/N**: As always, the next two chapters are available through p atreon


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: This is a **fan-fiction work**. The events depicted herein **did not happen** and **will not happen** in real life. The Author of this work **does not claim** to own the **Harry Potter Universe** or the copyright of the same. Any character that appears in this work **that may resemble a real person**, living or dead, **is not intended to represent such person**, and **any and all resemblance to such person is purely coincidental**. Please note that **some of the actions depicted in this work may be illegal** and **should not be imitated in real life**.

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**HARRY POTTER AND THE KNIGHTS OF WALSINGHAM**

**THREE**

He happened to be at the attached library of the manor when the slight bell echoed around his head, warning him that the arrival wards that he had placed around the perimeter of his childhood home had been pinged. Since the end of the Blood War, there had been those that had attempted to get close to his home for the purpose of heckling him, and Draco Malfoy had grown tired of directing them to the goblins and the ministry so that they can file their claim according to the procedure that had been set up by the side that had won the war.

As his thoughts turned toward the war, he could not help but let out a sigh, and though the first thing that most people who would have seen that sigh would think that the son of the head of the Malfoy family was regretting what he had done during the war, it was actually not the case. Rather, the reason for the sigh that escaped from the lips of Draco was because he regretted the fact that he and his side had not won that war, and that meant that they would have to lie low and think of more creative ways to defend their way of life.

The blonde former Slytherin stood from his seat and made his way toward a large window that was on the wall far from where he had been seated. It was a window that would allow him a perfect view over the approach to the main entrance to the manor, and whoever had come calling would be directed to take that path by the wards that had just been pinged. He was not worried, however, that the person who is about to arrive was unwelcome, after all, if the wards had allowed him passage through, then it means that he is in the rather exclusive list of people that Draco would have no problem approaching his home.

As he walked toward the window in question, he could not help but let out another sigh. His thoughts once more returned to the war that he fought and lost and with a subtle shake of his head, the regrets that he felt back then once more bubbled up to the surface of his being.

Despite the bravado that Draco had exhibited when he was but a student in the most prestigious magical school in the world, he knew for a fact that he is not the leader that his side would need. Aside from the fact that he now knows that he lacks the charisma, he had been forced to admit that he lacked the power to wield the old traditional families into one mighty force that could force the rest of their world to listen. Then, there is also the fact that it was well documented that, during the Battle of Hogwarts, his father and mother had not fought for the Dark Lord, preferring instead to roam the battlefield to look for him.

It was that particular act that spared the Malfoy family from true condemnation from the winning side – though like all 'Dark' Families, they had to pay a fine – but it was also that act that forever blacklisted the once prominent family from becoming the true leaders of the 'Dark' Side.

'_Looks like we are going to have to wait for a new champion to arrive,'_ Draco thought at the same time that he felt the beginnings of a headache at the forefront of his mind.

Although his family no longer wields the power and influence that it once had, Draco knows that his father still has friends with the Wizengamot who appraises him of the trends in that body. In the immediate aftermath of the war, there had been moves to ban any and all references to blood purity in the society and in the government, but that move died down when it became obvious that that would be impossible to enforce. It was the first time since the war that Draco remembered his father celebrating.

Occasionally, such proposals would rear their ugly head, but they are usually shot down even before they could get to an actual bill to be voted upon by the members of the governing body. With a shudder, Draco realized that getting a bill to the voting stage would be just the same as having that bill turn into a law, as neither Draco nor his father are sure in regards to the loyalty of those remaining traditionalist families in the Wizengamot.

Once more, the thoughts of Draco turned toward the window in front of him. He had been reading correspondence from his father – who was, ostensibly, on a vacation in Asia – regarding his inroads with the traditionalist there. The tenor of the letter of the senior Malfoy, however, indicates that it would be rather hard to convince those traditionalists to join with them. Lucius Malfoy had even gone so far as to indicate that the traditionalists in the east are more discriminating than those in the west.

'_Just as well, perhaps,'_ Draco thought, and once more, he felt the headache at the forefront of his mind. The reason for that was because at that moment, his thoughts turned toward the man that he had called as his rival while he was still studying at Hogwarts. He knew that the reputation of one Harry James Potter would ensure that no Dark Lord would rise up in the British Isles, or even in Europe, in the foreseeable future.

The blonde former Slytherin was distracted from his reverie a few moments later when, using his peripheral vision, he saw a cloaked figure approaching the main entrance to the manor. With his dark cloak wrapped around his face – to protect his identity, though Draco thought that it must also have something to do with the bleary weather that they were having at that moment – it was difficult, almost impossible, for Draco to be able to tell who the guest was, and he did not even bother to guess his identity as he told himself that he would know soon enough.

Well aware that any meeting with the guest – whoever he may be – would not be conducted in this library – as it is one of the more private wings of Malfoy Manor – Draco turned his attention away from the window with the intention of making his way to the office at the ground level of the manor, but as he did so, he was forced to pause.

At that same moment, lightning flashed behind him, though he was unable to actually see it because he was staring at the figure in front of him, even if he knew that he was only seeing an illusion the moment that he saw it.

The Dark Lord was seated behind the desk that Draco himself had left when he heard the wards warning him of an approaching guest, and from where Draco was standing, he could see that the champion of the Dark side was examining a tome of some sort.

He was brought out of the reverie that he had fallen into – and the illusion disappeared at the same time – when the thunder that was associated with that lightning that he did not see echoed from the distance. Draco blinked in reaction to hearing the thunder, and when he was able to recover less than a second later, the Dark Lord was no longer seated behind the desk.

"Perhaps I need to sleep earlier," he thought, yet he did not actually make his way back to the desk, choosing instead to walk out of the library and make his way to where he would be meeting his unknown guest.

It took him less than five minutes to reach the ground floor office, and at the same time that he did, one of the house elves of the family – dressed in such gaudy clothing that even Draco had to fight the urge to puke – popped next to him to inform him that he has a guest.

He fought the urge to tell the elf that he already knew that at the same time that he reminded himself that it was actually illegal to harm an elf – '_Damn Granger,'_ he thought – before he said, "Bring him here, please."

Despite the fact that Draco had not physically assaulted an elf – at least not directly – since the House Elves Protection Laws – '_Damn Granger,'_ he thought again – had been passed, it was obvious that the elf still feared him. As it disappeared with a barely audible pop, he could not help but smile, though he was quick to return to the present and school his features as it would not do well for his guest to see him seated at the office with a goofy smile on his face as he imagined punishing Granger much like how he would punish an elf.

"Your guest, Master," the voice of the elf tore Draco out of his reverie, and he spared himself a few moments to imagine that instead of the elf, it was the muggle-born witch that had humiliated him so much that was speaking, but again, he could not afford to lose himself in his imagination anymore than he already had, especially when he was able to identify the guest that have come to see him at one glance.

"Thank you," Draco said, barely able to keep his voice neutral, "Have some refreshment sent please," before he turned his attention to his unannounced guest, politely inclining his head toward him before saying, "George, please, sit."

Draco could tell from the expression on the face of George Moore that the man was not comfortable with dealing with Draco, though if he was being honest with himself, the former Slytherin could understand why that is the case. Still, as the man took a seat, his face relaxed a little.

"To what do I owe the honor of your visit, George?" Draco asked.

He was quite sure that the man was not visiting in his professional capacity, after all, George Moore is a member of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He also works directly under Auror Captain Potter, being an administrative staff member of one of the elite auror teams established in the wake of the War.

Of course, that was his public façade, because underneath that façade, George Moore is actually a spy for Draco, and he was a damned good agent that even Potter had not been able to unmask, though that may have something to do with George actually having fought for the Light side during the War. It was just that he is also a member of a traditionalist family who strongly believed in the separation of the magical and muggle world.

Before George could reply to the question that Draco had set before him, there was an audible sound and a tray appeared on one of the end tables inside the room. It was filled with the refreshments that Draco had ordered his elf to produce, but the elf himself did not return to the room, which suited Draco just fine.

"The Minister met with representatives from the muggle government this morning," George suddenly said, prompting Draco to turn his complete attention toward his spy, yet at the same time that he did, he told himself that he really should have known that whatever the topic that brought George here, it would have something to do with the muggles.

Draco was not aware of the history of the Moore family with the muggles, but he would honestly admit that he had never seen a family so against the muggles as the Moore family. It was a slight miracle that they actually did not join the Dark side during the war, but he guessed that that would be because the former head of the Moore family was a traditionalist so steeped in tradition, he demanded that the Dark Lord present proof of his descent from Salazar Slytherin before he would even speak with the Dark Lord.

"I actually do not see anything wrong with that," Draco said at the same time that he waved his hand toward the direction of the tray that his servant had brought into the room, causing the teapot to pour tea into one of the cups before the cup gently sailed through the air and landed on the surface in front of Draco. He sipped from the cup before turning his attention back to his guest and saying, "Even though we need to separate our world from theirs, we must still coordinate with them over some other aspects of governance."

Draco could see the exasperated look on the face of his guest. Indeed, it looked as if George was ready to pull out his wand and curse Draco, though he did not react because there are wards inside this room – and the Manor in general – that would kick in should George actually attack him.

Like the entry wards, those wards are placed as a necessity, after all, Draco had lost count of the number of times that their guests had tried to curse at him and the other members of his family inside their own home.

"The representative spoke with all members of the elite auror teams as well," George added a few moments later. If Draco was being honest, even that was not something that he should be concerned about. More often than not, the aurors and the other members of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement are the ones that have to deal with the muggle world, so it could just be a routine briefing.

George, however, continued before Draco could say anything, "Something about missing materials in the muggle world, though whatever it is, it caused Granger and Potter to panic."

Draco actually smiled at that, and found himself wishing that he was there to see it. He knows, however, that it was wishful thinking on his part because despite the fact that he is actually one of the best students of his year, his background would disqualify him from becoming an auror. In any case, it was not something that he dreamed for himself, even when he was just a student, preferring instead to follow in the footsteps of his father and become a politician.

Sadly, that path was closed to him in the aftermath of the War, and the only way that he could be a politician is if the social order would be reversed again, something that Draco was not sure would happen in his lifetime, though he is sure that it would happen.

"And whatever it is that is missing is so important that the muggles had no choice but to ask for our help?" Draco asked, although he already knew what the answer to his question would be, which was why he was not surprised when he saw George nod.

The former Slytherin paused for a few moments, though it was more for theatrical than any other purpose. He would not have a problem admitting that he is rather intrigued about the reason why the muggle world was approaching the magical world in this, but he told himself that it was actually something that does not concern him.

Almost lazily, he returned his attention toward his spy in the law enforcement section of the Ministry and asked, "Do you know why the muggles went to the Ministry?"

Draco would admit that he was surprised with the look that appeared on the face of his spy as the man turned his complete attention toward him. By the time that he realized what he was doing, Draco was already reaching for his wand as he was sure that his spy was about to attack him from the expression on his face, yet George made no move, forcing Draco to pause and wonder what was going on.

The blonde former Slytherin was about to say something else – and in that regard, he had already prepared to part his lips to push the words out – but before he could do so, George cut him off, thought he man did not use words, instead, he nodded. Draco took that nod to mean an affirmative answer to the question that he had earlier asked, though he forced himself not to speak and just wait.

His patience was rewarded a few moments later as George finally said, "The muggles suspect magical involvement because they had found eight wands at the scene of the crime."

Draco blinked in surprise at that revelation. He had initially thought that the muggles were just blaming them for their screw-up, but now that George had revealed that the muggles had actually found wands at the scene, he realized that they have a reason to ask for the help of the magical world. Indeed, Draco was quick to realize that, perhaps, the muggles were not just asking for help from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. It was quite likely that the muggles blame them for the theft.

For some reason or another, when George told him about the wands, he could not help but think about Granger. It took him just a few moments to remember that Granger had set up a Registry of Wands – and at the same time, he remembered his fervent opposition to the same – which meant that if the muggles had taken wands, then they could check on the same against the Registry.

"Do they know who the wands belong to?" Draco asked before he could stop himself.

The man in front of him did not even hesitate to nod, and for one reason or another, the fact that he did not hesitate caused the confusion that Draco was feeling to double. An uncomfortable silence descended between the two men, though it was quickly broken by George.

Actually, it was Draco who was about o break the silence, and he opened his mouth to say something, but before he could do so, his spy suddenly said, "Five wands belong to people who have died during the War, the other three belonged to people who were under-aged during the War."

The fact that the wands were lost during the War caused Draco to sigh involuntarily, and at the same time, he now knew the reason why George had gone to him. It would not take a genius to know that suspicion now falls on the 'former' Death Eaters as being the perpetrators of the crime, especially with Light-side prejudice against them.

"I suppose Weasley was the first to suggest it," Draco said with a resigned tone. He did not wait for George to reply to his question before he turned his attention back to his tea and sipped on the same. He would have to admit, if he was asked, of course, that the reason why he did what he had done was because he did not want George to see what his reaction would be to the spy confirming what he had just said.

Even George himself must have realized it, because rather than replying verbally to the question, he simply nodded.

Once more, there was an uncomfortable silence inside the room, and once more, it was George who broke it even if Draco wanted to be the one to speak first. The spy that Draco had in the law enforcement department of the ministry turned his complete attention toward the direction of Draco, and once more, the blonde former Slytherin was reaching for his wand before he could stop himself.

"Did you guys do it?" George asked.

Draco had enough presence of mind to note that the tone that George had used was accusing, though as he thought about it, he realized that it was to be expected. During the War, it was the Death Eaters that had stolen wands so that they could use the same for their deeds, and there are also those foot soldiers who had fought during the War that were never issued wands in their youth.

"No, we did not do it," Draco replied. He was not denying that they had stolen wands during the War, of course, he was denying that they were the ones behind the theft that brought the muggles into the Ministry building. He placed a serious expression on his face as he stared at the man in front of him before he repeated his earlier words, "We did not do it," he said.

Draco had often wished that he had taken the time to learn the art of mind-reading when he could. He knew that he would have made more than a dozen profitable deals more profitable for him if he could read the mind of the person that he was dealing with, and as he stared at the man in front of him at that moment, he once more found himself wishing that he had learned that art.

Of course, he reminded himself a few moments later that it might be useless, considering that the man that he is dealing with at that moment is a support member of the elite auror teams of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, which meant that George probably has countermeasures against mind-reading.

"What was stolen?" Draco suddenly asked when he realized that despite his best efforts, the look of distrust on the face of his spy had not disappeared. He could tell that his sudden question had taken George aback, not only because of the way that he asked the question, but also because George realized that Draco would not be asking that question if the former Slytherin had been behind the theft.

Draco could see that his spy was hesitating to say anything, and because he knew that it would be in his best interest to strike while the iron is hot, the former Slytherin increased the volume of his voice a notch – but not enough that he could be considered as shouting – and asked again, "What was stolen?"

He knew that he had broken George at that moment, because the spy turned his complete attention toward Draco and replied in a feeble voice, "I don't know what it is actually called, but they said it is powerful enough to create a weapon that would eradicate a part of London in an instant."

Draco had heard about such a weapon before from muggle-borns that were captured during the War. He had dismissed it as ramblings coming from prisoners who have been tortured to the brink of death and who knew that they would die soon, which was why he did not even bother to find out if there was any truth in their claims.

The headache that Draco had thought that he had beaten before he even met with the man who was now seated in front of him returned at full force a few moments later, and it was painful enough that before he could stop himself, he found his left hand massaging his temple.

Unfortunately for him, the man in front of him has more bad news to deliver, and while it was obvious that George was aware that something was troubling Draco, he still proceeded to add, "The muggles are also thinking about implementing something called Contingency Sabre."

Despite the headache that he was feeling, Draco forced himself to return his complete attention toward the man who was in the room with him at that moment. The reason why he did so was because he wanted to give the man a questioning look as he had never heard of anything about a Contingency Sabre before.

This time, George was more than willing to provide all information that he has, and when he realized that the man was volunteering everything so fast, it was because George was so afraid of the contingency. A few moments later, Draco was also feeling the same fear that George must have been feeling at that moment.

"The muggles said that they would void the Statute of Secrecy and descend en masse upon the magical world if the stolen materials are not found," George said.

Draco blinked in response to that declaration, and he did not need to ask if George was being serious. If he was honest, at that moment, what the former Slytherin wanted to ask was if such a threat was even possible, but then he realized that it must be because the muggles would not have bothered with the threat otherwise.

He turned his attention toward the direction of George with the intention of demanding more information, but at that moment, there was a popping sound in the room that caused Draco to turn toward the direction of the same.

The fearful look on the face of the house-elf that popped into the room did much to calm the nerves of Draco – and he was reminded that he loved seeing such look on the face of those who are inferior to him – but the house-elf was still able to deliver her report, "Begging Master's pardon," the house-elf said, "You have another guest asking permission to enter."

As he could not remember hearing the chime connected with the gate-keeper ward in his head after he had met with George, Draco realized that the new guest that was asking permission to enter was someone whom he had not included in the list who could enter the premises of Malfoy Manor. That would also explain the reason why his house-elf had to warn him.

"Did they say who they are?" Draco asked, fighting to keep his voice calm though he was still feeling some pressure after the revelation of his spy in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

"Yes, Master," the house-elf replied, "They be Erik Hound."

Draco blinked at that moment, surprised at the identity of the person that have come to visit him, but it was George who was able to speak first, "Erik Hound?" he asked, and from the tone that he had used, it was obvious that he did not believe the report, though he quickly asked, "The self-appointed successor of Fenrir Greyback?"

"He is not self-appointed anymore," Draco replied off-handedly, still distracted by the sudden appearance of the werewolf that had recently taken control of ninety percent of werewolf packs in the British Isles, "His pack had grown considerably so most werewolves consider him as the true successor," there was a pause before he turned his complete attention toward the house-elf and asked, "Ask him what he wants, but show him in to the dining room."

The house-elf let out a fearful squeak before it disappeared to comply with the order that Draco had given. At the same time, George stood from where he was seated as he said, "I should go."

Draco had no intention of stopping him. Although it is highly unlikely, it is still possible that Erik Hound would be able to see him, and that would reveal their connection, something that Draco does not want to reveal as it may compromise the position of George.

Before George could stand, however, Draco suddenly said, "We were not involved this theft, George, you must see that," and he was actually relieved when his inside man in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement gave him a nod. Still, there was something else that Draco wanted to ask for.

"George," Draco suddenly said, forcing the man to return her attention toward the direction of Draco with a questioning look on his face, though before he could say anything, the former Slytherin said, "Could you keep me posted?"

Draco could see that his spy was hesitating about something, but then he nodded without saying anything.

Harry could not keep the smile off of his face as he stared at the red-headed woman in front of him who was obviously making her way toward him. She was not riding her broom, but at that moment, it seemed as if it would not have made a difference with the speed with which she was running toward him, and less than a moment later, he felt her petite figure slam against his body with such force that he very nearly lost his balance and fell backward.

That would have been disastrous, because at that moment, there was a table behind him, and it was laden with the food that he knew she would enjoy, which was why he went ahead and ordered for her.

For a few moments, Harry could only stare at the top of the head of the pretty red-head whose arms were wrapped around his body, and he returned the favor by wrapping his own arms around hers. He could not hear the applause that were coming from the other guest of the restaurant that he had chosen, even as he thanked his luck that though the Minister had asked that he cancel this date with his girlfriend, he was still able to make it.

She felt as fit as ever against his arms, the result, he was sure, of her almost endless Quidditch drills that made her the star chaser of her team, the Holyhead Harpies. He also did not need to look at her pretty face to know that she is as beautiful as Harry could remember her.

Harry gently pushed Ginny away from him a few moments later, though he made sure that there would not be that much of a distance between the two of them. He decided not to tell her about how close they came to having this date cancelled because of his work, but with a start, he realized that she was probably already aware of that, just as she was aware that her brother and her own best friend would not be joining them, after all, she did not react to the fact that there are only two seats at the table.

"Another argument, huh?" she asked rhetorically as Harry saw her regarding the table in front of her. Before he could do anything, Ginny shrugged and replied, "Well, at least we can enjoy this with just the two of us."

Harry laughed in response as he told himself that he could always trust Ginny to find the silver-lining in even the worst of situations. He finally let go of her and she took that chance to make her way to the seat at the other end of the table.

Though Harry would have preferred to help her to her seat, she did not give him the chance to do so, leading him to believe that she was already hungry, something that he thought was confirmed a few moments later when she suddenly reached forward and grabbed a loaf of bread to place on the plate in front of her just as Harry was about to take his seat.

"Ron told me that you have a new case," Ginny suddenly said.

For a few moments, Harry could only stare at her with wide eyes, though he nodded a few moments later, acknowledging that that is indeed the case. At the same time, however, he made a mental note to remind Ron as soon as he sees him that he should not have told Ginny anything. Right now, Ginny is the girlfriend of Harry, but even if they get married, it does not mean that Ginny would have access to the case files of Harry, especially if it is as sensitive as this new case.

The fact that Ron is the brother of Ginny does not also excuse him from telling a technical civilian anything about active auror investigations.

"He should not have told you anything," Harry commented a few moments later, barely able to keep the disappointment that he felt at that moment from coloring his voice.

Ginny did not look as if she even noticed that, shrugging as she said, "Well, he has a big mouth, so you really should not be surprised about that."

The auror captain let out a sigh at that moment and told himself that he really should talk with Ron about that. At the same time, he knew that there was nothing that he could do at that moment, so he decided to just enjoy the dinner that he had insisted he should have with Ginny.

"How is your practice?" he asked. It was the only topic that he could find that would ensure that they would not talk about the ongoing operation of Harry, after all, Ginny was a passionate Quidditch player.

He was proven correct in that assessment a few moments later when she placed a wide smile on her face and she started to ramble about how she was sure that they were going to win the local league this year. Harry made sure to nod and comment on the right places, but even though he was the one who suggested the topic, it did not take him long to grow bored of it.

It may have something to do with his ongoing operation, but something tells him that there was an underlying reason why he could not bring himself to be excited about Quidditch anymore.

"Harry," Ginny suddenly said, tearing Harry out of his reverie and forcing himself back to the present at the same time that he placed a questioning expression on his face. He turned his attention toward his girlfriend and he saw that she was looking at him with a serious expression as she asked, "Have you considered the offer of Puddlemore?"

He let out an exasperated sigh in response to that question. Puddlemore had still been sending him offers to join their club, but while Harry had seriously considered becoming a professional player in his youth, now that he was an auror, he realized that it was not for him. He had explained that much to Ginny many years ago during one of their first arguments when she told him that he should try out, but it would appear that she has not been listening to him.

"I have," he replied. He wondered if she could see through the lie – and here, he noted that Hermione could, no matter how hard he tried to hide it from her – but she disappointed him when it was made obvious that she did not.

Before he could say anything, Ginny interrupted him by placing a frown on her face as she said, "You should take it," there was a brief pause before she added, "It's not as exciting as being an auror, but at least its safer."

Harry actually managed a smile in response to that assertion, "Not by much," he replied. He stopped himself just in time from adding anything else, well aware that if he were to do so, he would only be speaking about the number of times that he was nearly killed while playing the sport. It was not a topic that Ginny was fond of as she thought that it was critical of her own choice of career.

"Well, it pays better," Ginny said off-handedly.

Harry nodded in response to an assertion that he could not deny. He also knew what Ginny was going to say next, so he did not even bother to pretend that he did not expect the next words that came out of her mouth, "Not to mention, it makes you even more famous than you already are," she said.

It was not the first time that Harry found himself asking if Ginny could truly understand him. He had not actually come out and told her anything about it as he thought that she would someday come to realize that Harry actually hated being famous.

A sigh escaped from the lips of Harry at that moment, "Listen, Ginny…," he began.

Before he could finish whatever it was that he wanted to say, he spotted someone approaching them through his peripheral vision. The way that he approached them told him that the person was not a threat, but because he could not be sure why the person was approaching, Harry could not help but pause so that he could focus his attention – albeit in such a way that he was not giving himself away – toward the person.

Ginny must have realized it because she turned her attention toward the direction of the approaching person, though unlike Harry, she was easily able to discern the intention of the approaching person, "It's just a fan who wants an autograph, Harry," he said at the same time that she stood from her seat so that she could greet the approaching person who had produced a poster – '_Had he been carrying that poster from the beginning?'_ Harry asked – at the same time that he extended his hand toward her so that he could stop her.

S he ignored him, however, and shook hands with the fan, and it was not long before it turned into an impromptu meet and greet session with the star chaser of the Holyhead Harpies.

**PROJECT 19A708C OPERATION HERMIONE Page 15**

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E/N: As always, the next two chapters are avaialable via p atreon


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: This is a **fan-fiction work**. The events depicted herein **did not happen** and **will not happen** in real life. The Author of this work **does not claim** to own the **Harry Potter universe** or the copyright of the same. Any character that appears in this work **that may resemble a real person**, living or dead, **is not intended to represent such person**, and **any and all resemblance to such person is purely coincidental**. Please note that **some of the actions depicted in this work may be illegal** and **should not be imitated in real life**.

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**HARRY POTTER AND THE KNIGHTS OF WALSINGHAM**

**FOUR**

Harry fidgeted under the collar that he was wearing, but despite the fact that he wanted to do nothing more than to adjust the collar of the shirt that he was wearing, he knew that he could not because if he were to do so, then the young woman who was seated beside him would turn her attention toward him and glare at him. It was something that Harry did not want to happen, because even though he would never admit it in public, he was not really comfortable whenever Hermione would glare at him.

It was something that he had learned back when they were at Hogwarts together, and even after the Second Blood War, it was still something that disturbed him far more than he would admit.

In any case, the shirt that he was wearing was part of the uniform that Sir Matthew had provided for them so that they could actually inspect the scene of the crime. He had argued that they could just inspect it at night, but the representative of the muggle government – and even Hermione – had said that that would not be possible, because even at night, the place that they would be heading to would still be guarded.

That was the reason why Harry was in this double-breasted navy blue coat that he was informed was the service dress blues of a member of the United States Navy. The cover story was that he and Hermione – who is wearing the female version of the uniform that Harry was wearing – were sent from across the pond to inspect the site. Sir Matthew had assured them that the Royal Navy sentries guarding the site would not even raise an eyebrow at seeing a member of the American Navy investigating the incident since, technically, the missiles stored in the facility belong to them.

What Harry was less certain about, however, was his ability to answer questions that may be asked of him by the members of the staff of the facility. He was supposed to be a lieutenant commander with a high position within an American ballistic missile submarine, but he was not sure that he could even describe how a nuclear reactor works.

A sigh escaped from the lips of Harry as he told himself that he should at least count himself lucky that he was wearing the uniform of an officer. He fought the urge to glance toward the front seat of the military utility vehicle that they were riding on because he knew that if he were to do so, he would just glimpse the uncomfortable look on the face of Ron.

Harry was not sure of his best mate was uncomfortable about the fact that he was wearing the sailor suit or if he was uncomfortable because he was seated at the front of a muggle motor vehicle – never mind the fact that his father had a car before – but the discomfort on the face of the red-haired wizard was so obvious, Harry was sure that the man would puke the first chance that he could get.

Of course, the discomfort that Ron was feeling at that moment may also have something to do with the fact that Hermione all but ignored him. Harry knew for a fact that Hermione would usually have to reassure Ron that travelling in a muggle vehicle was perfectly safe, but since his girlfriend was ignoring him, no one was there to assure Ron. Harry, sure as hell, would not do it.

He also had his right hand on his pocket, which told Harry that Ron was busy distracting himself from the discomfort by keeping his hand on his wand and forcing himself to concentrate as if he was expecting an attacking coming at them from any direction at any moment. Unfortunately, he could not actually draw that wand form his pocket because doing so would not only expose the magical world – Harry was quite certain that their driver, someone whom he had never seen before, was not actually aware of who they really are – but would actually endanger Ron.

Sir Matthew had told them that drawing a wand inside or near the facility that they are heading to may cause them to be shot by roving sentries who had been briefed that people carrying wands are dangerous. Harry would have loved to be there when they were briefed because he was sure that most of those sentries had incredulous looks on their faces when they were informed about that, but he is certain that those men are going to take their orders seriously.

There were supposed to be more than just Harry, Ron, and Hermione for this trip, but at the last minute, Sir Matthew had to ask them to limit the number of visitors to three as it would be difficult – if not downright impossible – to explain why eight foreigners – more than allies perhaps, but foreigners nonetheless – would suddenly be inside one of the most secure facilities in the whole of the United Kingdom.

Hermione was the one who agreed to the request and Harry suspected that it was because she was very worried about what had happened. Then again, Harry realized that if dark-aligned forces had gotten hold of fissionable materials, it would be a nightmare.

Harry was distracted from his musings by a sudden movement to his side, and he turned his attention there just in time to see Hermione close the briefcase that she had been given as part of the uniform that she had been given. He was sure that unlike him, Hermione would be able to answer any question that would be asked of her, and the briefcase that she had been given contained some basic instruction manuals should there actually be a need for either her or Harry to answer any question.

Ron, of course, would not be able to answer any questions – he could barely keep himself functioning in the muggle world, after all – and Sir Matthew must have realized that when he gave the red-headed auror the uniform of an enlisted man rather than an officer.

The black haired auror could not actually ask Sir Matthew if that was the case, however, because the representative of the muggle government that arranged for them to visit the scene of the crime was not even with them. Harry had been informed that he had gone on ahead in order to make things a bit easier for their approach and that they would meet the man at the actual site of where the crime had taken place, though Harry would have to admit that he would rather have the man with them at that moment.

'_He could explain things far better than we could,' _Harry thought.

Once more, he was torn out of his reverie, but this time, it was not movement that provided the catalyst, rather, it was the fact that the liaison vehicle that he and his companions are in slowed down until it came to a complete stop fifteen seconds later. He turned his attention toward the windshield of the vehicle and saw the fenced gate in front of them before he saw the armed sentry that was approaching the drivers side window.

At the same time, their driver lowered his window so that he could pass on the necessary papers.

Harry would freely admit that he had no idea what their driver and the sentry talked about in the thirty seconds that they had paused in front of that fenced gate. He was not even paying attention to them because he turned his attention toward his own window and watched as another sailor – this one holding a leash with a dog at the other end of the leash – inspected the liaison vehicle from his side. He could also see another sailor doing the same thing at the other side of the vehicle.

By the time that the vehicle was allowed to move again, the fenced gate in front of them had moved to the side, allowing the driver of the vehicle to move forward. The man had not said anything as he turned the vehicle to the right, and when Harry saw the giant building in front of them, he realized that he did not need the man to actually say anything before he recognized the function of the giant structure in front of them.

Easily more than ten stories high, the structure was long enough that despite its height, it gave the impression that the building was a stump. Finished in non-descript gray, there were few windows at the side of the building, but the fact that it was built beside an extended jetty that reached out to the waters of the Loch betrayed the fact that it was an enclosed submarine pen.

Their driver stopped the vehicle in front of several other command liaison vehicles that were already there, and Harry had already opened his door even before the man had engaged the handbrake of the vehicle, with Hermione following suit a moment later, though she waited.

The moment that Harry stepped out of the vehicle, he saw Sir Matthew heading toward them, and the way that he was dressed made Harry stare at him for a few moments. It would appear that the double-breasted navy blue jacket that he was wearing was a twin to the one that Harry was wearing, but as he stared at the same, he realized that there are a few differences between the uniform that he was wearing and the uniform that the representative of the muggle government was wearing.

Sir Matthew also looked comfortable with the uniform, and that was all that Harry needed to see in order to confirm his earlier suspicion that he had shared with Hermione. This man is a member of the British Armed Services, and from the uniform, Harry would have to guess that he is a member of the Royal Navy.

"This way, please," Sir Matthew said, surprising Harry with his promptness to indicate that they should follow him. He glanced toward the direction of Hermione and saw the surprised expression on her face, but with a faint shrug, she decided to just follow the man, leaving Harry and Ron with no choice but to follow suit.

The interior of the building was exactly as Harry had expected. Despite the fact that the building looked as if it had floors from the outside, the was not actually the case as the interior of the same was just one big cavern, and a full ninety percent of the floor space of the same was taken up by a dock that extended out to the loch.

He could see some gates at the far side of the dock and he supposed that that could be used to close the dock and drain the water, turning it into a dry dock, but at that moment, the gates were open, leaving Harry with no impression of just how deep the dock in front of him would be as it was filled with water.

"We found the first body here," Sir Matthew said, indicating a spot that was just in front of him the moment that Harry and the others had caught up with him, "Two more were found in the actual place where we keep the warheads, and another four on the way there."

"Any sign of forced entry into your storage area?" Hermione asked. Harry watched as Sir Matthew turned his attention toward Hermione, but before he could say anything, the brunette witch continued, "I suppose that you have more than locked doors there."

'_Even if those doors are locked,'_ Harry thought, '_A simple alohomora would have opened them.'_

"Electronic locks, the kind that even witches and wizards should not be able to open with their spells," Sir Matthew said. He motioned for them to follow him, and as they walked to the place that Harry assumed would be the storage area for the warheads, the representative of the muggle government continued, "It would not have mattered though, our security cameras recorded one of the men we later found dead opening the door for the unknown subjects."

For the next two minutes, no one said anything as they continued to move forward. They paused in front of a heavy looking door that reminded Harry of a vault, though this one had a digital screen on the center where Sir Matthew had inputted a code that allowed the same to slide out of place and allow them entry into the secured space behind it.

"We found the wands here," Sir Matthew said. He paused as he turned his attention toward the three of them and he added, "Our security team had gone through the footage captured by the cameras as well, but for some reason, we could not see anyone aside from our own people."

Harry turned his attention toward Ron at the same time that the red-haired auror turned his attention toward his best friend. Their eyes met and ideas were exchanged between the two of them without words, though in the case of Harry, he would have to admit that he was feeling quite proud of Ron at that moment.

The red-head auror was the proverbial fish out of the water, yet despite that, he was still using his brain to think about the case that they had been presented.

"There are various ways with which a witch or wizard could hide themselves from optical sensors," Hermione said. She had not tried to share her ideas with either Harry or Ron, but she was the one who answered the unasked question of Sir Matthew first, and both Harry and Ron knew her well enough that it would not be in their best interest to interrupt her as she spoke, "Invisibility cloaks are quite uncommon in the magical world, but an average fully trained witch or wizard could use disillusionment charms as well."

The look on the face of Ron was sour, and Harry realized that it was because Hermione was telling the representative of the muggle government far more information than Ron himself was comfortable giving. It was at that moment that Harry remembered that Ron had warned them that there was something off about Sir Matthew, and from the way that the red-headed auror was acting, it was obvious that he was wary of Sir Matthew.

From where Harry was standing – that was a figure of speech, of course – he could not see anything wrong with the man, aside from the fact, of course, that he was also scared about what had happened, though he was hiding it. It was expected, however, especially now that it was made clear that he is actually a member of the military.

"Is there any way that you could tweak the videos we already have?" Sir Matthew asked.

The tone that the man had used, Harry realized, was tense, but it was also a tone that told the black-haired auror that Sir Matthew had already expected what the answer to his question would be. Unfortunately, there was no way that Harry – or the others – could tweak with the videos already made, though that did not mean that there was nothing that they could do.

Harry was torn out of his reverie when he noticed, through his peripheral vision, Hermione turn her attention toward him. This time, he met the gaze of his best friend, and as he had done with Ron but a few moments ago, the two of them had a silent conversation without the use of words. Finally, after what seemed like five minutes, but in reality was only five seconds, Harry nodded, giving Hermione permission to do as she suggested.

"Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about the video that you had already taken," Hermione said, "and given the documented effects of magic with electronics, I'd rather not approach your electronic equipment with a drawn wand."

The look on the face of Sir Matthew did not actually reflect disappointment, it reflected the fact that he already knew that that would be the answer that he would given. Fortunately for him, there was something else that could be done, and Harry quickly opened his mouth to say it, "We could try to see what actually happened here during that time, Sir Matthew," he said, and when the representative of the muggle government turned his attention toward Harry, the latter saw that there was actually a surprised look on the face of the man.

Before Sir Matthew could say anything, Harry continued, "We have recently developed a new spell," he said. There was a brief pause as he thought about telling the muggle officer the history behind the spell, but with a mental shrug, he told himself that Sir Matthew was not going to be interested in it. Right now, the man was only interested in knowing what the spell could do.

"Everything that we do leaves behind a mark in the things that are around us," Harry began, "And works of violence where people lose their lives are actions that leave a lot of residue, especially when magic is used, and from what we have seen here, magic had been used."

Harry would have to admit that he was not surprised to see the confused expression on the face of Sir Matthew. He was also not surprised to see the look of confusion on the face of Ron, for while Ron is a member of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and one of the highest ranking members of the elite auror teams that Harry has charge of, Ron was also not mentally present enough during the meetings that it was not surprising that he was not aware of that particular spell.

"Can you cast this spell, Auror Potter?" Sir Matthew asked. The look on the face of the representative of the muggle government was neutral, but Harry could tell that he was actually trying his best to keep the look on his face neutral, and that was all that Harry needed to see in order to realize that if he could not keep that look on his face, the man would probably be begging them at that moment.

That was not something that the representative of the muggle government should be doing.

Harry knew that, of course, but he still could not help but place a wide smile on his face. That smile disappeared a few moments later, however, as he said, "Not alone."

It was hard to describe the look on the face of Sir Matthew at that moment, but it took less than five seconds before the man opened his mouth to say something. Harry would have laid odds that the man would suggest another time when they could bring in more wizards, but fortunately for the representative, there was actually no need for him to do that.

"Just me and Hermione would suffice, Sir Matthew," Harry said.

Sir Matthew actually let out a sigh at the declaration of Harry, but he was easily able to regain control of himself and he gave Harry a nod. He did not appear to be ready to say anything else at that moment, but that did not mean that the room devolved into silence, because Ron chose that moment to complain about the fact that he did not know anything about the spell that Harry was talking about.

"Wait a minute," Ron suddenly said, and because he was practically screaming when he allowed those words out of his mouth, the three other people who were in the room with him was left with no choice but to turn their attention toward him.

Using his peripheral vision, Harry could see a look of irritation on the face of Sir Matthew, with the representative of the muggle government looking as if he would want nothing more than to curse Ron there and then, but of course, since the man is a muggle, that was not something that he could do.

The red-haired wizard that had forced everyone to turn their attention toward him because of what he had just said was not even aware that Sir Matthew was staring at him with an irritated expression on his face because at that moment, Ron was staring at Hermione, and she was staring coolly back at him.

"If this spell is something that I do not know about, then it must be a secret spell," Ron claimed, "Are you sure that we could show it to the muggles?"

The tone that Ron had used was different from the tone that the father and son duo of the Malfoy Family would have used if they were the ones speaking at that moment, yet the message was the same. If Harry was being honest with himself, however, he would have to admit that it was to be expected, after all, even if Ron had fought against the traditionalists during the war and had professed support for muggle-rights, he was still a pureblood.

For the first time since they met that morning, Hermione deigned to address Ron, and it was the fact that she had done that that made Harry come out of the reverie that he had landed in, "It is not a secret spell, Ronald," she said with a sneer that Harry knew for a fact was reserved for Ron, and only when he screwed up so bad that Hermione was seriously considering breaking up with him.

Despite Ron not being the sharpest pencil in the bunch, he was able to recognize the tone that Hermione had used – and here, Harry realized that the reason for that was because Ron had been at the receiving end of that sneer enough times that his instincts had already learned what to equate that sound to – and he backed down, "Hermione," he began.

It was obvious that the red-haired auror wanted to apologize, but by the time that he was ready, Hermione had already turned her attention away from him so that he could focus it toward the direction of Sir Matthew, "I apologize for our companion, Sir Matthew," she said, "We should have brought someone else instead."

Harry was not sure how much the representative of the muggle government knew about the relationship of Ron and Hermione, but the expression on his face – and again, he tried his best to keep his expression as neutral as possible – told Harry that the man at least had some inkling of that relationship. Still, rather than say anything, the representative of the muggle government merely nodded.

The fact that he was being once more ignored by his girlfriend did not sit well with Ron, and while the red-haired auror may not be the best when it comes to holding his mouth – or his temper for that matter – he was still a battle-trained wizard who had fought during the Battle of Hogwarts.

With an almost impossible speed, Ron drew his wand, but rather than point it toward the direction of either Harry or Hermione – as he knew that he would not survive if he had done that – he pointed the wand toward the direction of Sir Matthew. His actions caused the eyes of Harry to widen as he realized what Ron was trying to do – Ron was already moving his wand to the beginning of the pattern for the obliviation spell – but before Harry could do anything, Ron let out a loud scream.

The reason for the scream that escaped from the mouth of Ron was because a heartbeat before the scream escaped from his mouth, Sir Matthew threw himself toward the direction of Ron, and the muggle officer used his considerable weight to throw Ron off-balance. Ron may be heavier than Sir Matthew – by a few pounds at least – but in the case of Sir Matthew, most of his weight was pure muscle while in the case of Ron, there was more than few pounds of fat there.

A crashing sound tore both Harry and Hermione out of the reverie that they had fallen in, but even if he were not to turn his attention toward the direction where he heard the sound come from, Harry already knew what had caused that crashing sound. Still, he turned his attention toward that direction, and as he had expected, Ron was lying sprawled against the wall of the space that they were in while around him, the contents of a steel cabinet that had been dislodged from its position when Ron – and Sir Matthew – crashed into the same was lying sprawled around him.

That was not even what made the eyes of Harry widen, rather, it was the fact that as he pinned Ron against the bare walls of the space that they were in, the muggle officer had somehow produced a bayonet and was holding the cutting edge of the same against the throat of Ron.

The look on the face of Sir Matthew was one of determination, and Harry knew at that moment that the muggle representative would not hesitate to cut the throat of Ron should there be a need for it. Despite that, Ron was still resisting, which actually told Harry that the only reason that Sir Matthew had not cut the throat of Ron there and then was because the man realized that he would need the help of Harry and Hermione to solve this case.

"Stop it!" Hermione screamed, "Both of you!"

The scream of his girlfriend caused Ron to turn his attention toward Hermione, and the look on his face told Harry that his best friend actually had to gall to start complaining. He would have complained as well, if not for the fact that at that moment, Sir Matthew sheathed his bayonet before he brought himself back up to his full height.

He made a show of patting down the jacket of the uniform that he was wearing before he returned his attention toward Hermione and said, "My apologies, it was an automatic reaction for my part," and when Harry fixed him with a questioning look, the navy officer added, "I have seen far too many friends lose their lives after having a wand pointed at them in Afghanistan and Iraq."

The words that have escaped from the mouth of Sir Matthew arose some curiosity on the part of Harry, and he did not need to glance toward the direction of Hermione to know that she felt the exact same way. It was, however, Hermione who decided that they should worry about those words later when she spoke in such a way that the topic of the conversation remained within the reason why she – and Harry and Ron – were here in the first place.

"It is a normal reaction then," Hermione said. She glanced toward the direction of Harry at the same time that he glanced toward her, only in his case, there was a protesting expression on his face. Of course, when he saw the expression that Hermione had on hers – one that told him that they would talk about an important thing later – he realized that she had noted the implication of the words that have escaped from the mouth of Sir Matthew, but she had made the call that this is neither the time nor the place to talk about it.

Harry could not help but nod and agree with the assessment of Hermione, and though Ron looked as if he still wanted to protest, she turned her attention toward him and fixed him with another look that actually made him flinch before he turned his attention away from her, an action that prevented Harry from also seeing the look on the face of his friend.

There was no way that Ron was not going to do or say anything that would disrupt them again, however, as he had already done that, and if not for the fact that Sir Matthew was a trained soldier, Ron could have probably accomplished what he wanted.

With a soft mental sigh, Harry told himself that that would be a bigger mess. When the man who is in charge of investigating the theft of nuclear material with the help of the representatives of the magical government has suddenly forgotten his job, it is obvious that the people that he met with had changed his memories, and the implication of that would be catastrophic.

Never mind the fact that the non-magical government was already threatening to void the treaty that kept the two worlds separate, if Ron had succeeded, then the non-magical government would come to the conclusion that the Ministry actually had something to do with the theft of the nuclear material, and they would take that as their excuse to descend en-masse on the magical world.

There was no question that Hermione had also come to that conclusion, because a few moments later, the pretty brunette drew her wand ad pointed the business end of the same toward the direction of Ron who was not even looking at her. She waited, however, until Ron was looking at her before she fired off a stunning spell that caused the red-haired auror to slump down.

Harry was taken aback by the actions of Hermione and was about to say something before Hermione cut him off, "That felt good," she said with a smile, causing Harry to stare at her with an incredulous expression on his face.

He was not even sure what he had just witnessed, but then he realized that the reason why Hermione had said what she had was probably because she had been imagining doing that since she and Ron last fought.

"Harry, please," Hermione suddenly said.

Once more, it was the voice of Hermione that tore Harry out of his reverie, and the auror captain actually blinked once as he realized that he was supposed to be backing Hermione up. He returned his attention toward his best friend and with a nod – in response to the annoyed expression on the face of Hermione – the auror captain drew his wand.

After having witnessed what he had just witnessed, Harry took extra care not to point his wand toward the direction of Sir Matthew, even as he began to wave his wand in the prerequisite wand movement necessary for the spell that he and Hermione are invoking.

Harry was not sure of Sir Matthew could see the tiny particles of magic dust that were seemingly coming out of every inorganic thing inside the space that they were in. That dust coalesced into figures that eventually became humanoid in shape, though a few moments later, even that changed as the faces on the humanoid shapes also began to form.

The auror captain invoking the spell was not surprised when he realized that he could not recognize the figure, after all, this was one of the sailors that were killed during the break-in, and that is the reason why Harry instead turned his attention toward the side of the man. Once more, he was not surprised with what he was seeing, even if at that moment, he was not actually seeing anything.

He supposed that he would be able to see something when the spell was completed and color would be added, because at that moment, it was as if he was watching a first generation television show devoid of color.

It took another thirty seconds before he and Hermione stopped moving, and by the time that they did, they found themselves watching as the same sailor that Harry had first noticed drew his gun and shot at something that no one could see. From the look on the face of Sir Matthew, Harry guessed that the muggle officer knew what the sailor was shooting at, and with a start, he realized that the muggle officer knew that that was the moment when the sailor shot at his comrades.

"Harry, look at his eyes," Hermione suggested, prompting the auror captain to follow the suggestion of his best friend.

He only needed two seconds to understand the reason why Hermione asked him to turn his attention to the eyes of the man. The glossed-over look on the eyes of the sailor was difficult to spot because there were only a few blotches of color included in the recreation of the spell that he and Hermione had used, but Harry had investigated cases like these in the past – albeit back then, he had the luxury of depending on pensive memories rather than this new spell – to know that the glossed-over color on the eyes of the man was a tell-tale indication of the imperius curse.

"Imperius curse?" Hermione asked, prompting Harry to nod. The nod from Harry caused a hiss of anger to escape from the lips of Hermione as she added, "We really need to find a way to restore that Taboo."

Harry was only half listening to her at that point because he was focused on the mouth of the man in front of him. Another draw-back of the spell that he and Hermione had used was that it could not recreate sound, which was why he had to look at the mouth of the mind-controlled sailor to see if he could read his lips. Often, a muggle who had been hit with the imperius curse would repeat the words that the one controlling them would give them, but even as he stared at the lips of the man, he found that he could not read anything.

Still, it was not as if that was a complete waste. The Ministry had dedicated lip-readers, and he knew that those people could work with the memories that Harry intends to give them later when they return to the Ministry.

"Are you seeing anyone else aside from the sailor?" the voice of Sir Matthew tore Harry out of his reverie at the same time that it reminded him of the fact that the man was still with them. He turned his attention toward the muggle officer and saw him staring at the images in front of him, though there was no indication on his face that he was unsure of what he was seeing.

It was obvious that this is not his first time seeing something like this, and combined with the words that had escaped from his mouth earlier, it made the man more and more interesting in the mind of Harry. Still, in order not to arouse his suspicion, the auror captain shook his head, "No," he admitted, "they're probably under an invisibility cloak rather than disillusioned."

"That makes things a bit more complicated," Hermione suddenly said. Her words, Harry saw, made Sir Matthew turn his attention toward her, but before the muggle officer could say anything, "Most invisibility cloaks are family heirlooms, and there would not be records of them."

"There is no way that only one man had done this, however," Harry said. He turned his attention toward Hermione and said, "And there is no way that this was done by traditionalists."

Hermione nodded her agreement with the words of Harry, and if he was being honest, he could not imagine her disagreeing with him. Indeed, from the look on the face of Hermione, he realized that the muggle-born witch was actually considering the possibility that muggle-born witches and wizards were behind the theft, and Harry could see the reason why she would consider that possibility.

The muggle-born witches and wizards are aware of the power of a nuclear weapon, but the purebloods – despite the fact that they had lost the Second Blood War, they still think of themselves as superior to the muggle and had gone out of their way to not learn anything from the muggle world – are not.

Of course, if muggle-born witches and wizards had done this crime, then it was obvious that they would first have to procure a means to make themselves invisible. Unlike the purebloods, there are very few muggle-borns who have their own invisibility cloaks. At the same time that he was thinking about that, however, Harry cautioned himself against generalizing his theories as he knew that that would hamper him in the future.

It is quite possible that purebloods have actually done this crime – and despite the fact that a part of him was screaming at him that even if the purebloods had done this travesty, they did so without realizing what they had stolen, he ignored that part of him – and was going out of their way to disguise themselves as muggle-borns if only to cause unwarranted pressure on that sector of magical society.

Either way, Harry realized that he and his team would have to make sure that all possibilities are handled properly.

Hermione turned his attention toward Harry at the same time that Harry turned his attention toward her with the intention of telling her that they are done here, but when he saw the look on the face of his best friend, Harry could not help but blink, though he noted that the expression that was on her pretty face was not actually meant for her, rather, it was meant for what she was seeing behind Harry, and that caused him to turn his attention toward that direction.

There was another ghost figure behind Harry, and because he was standing in front of the door, he realized that this ghost figure had just stepped into the room at the same time that Hermione turned her attention toward that direction.

It was not, however, the fact that the man had entered the room that made Hermione place that expression on her face, rather, it was the fact that she recognized the signs that was on the face of the person, and if Harry was being honest, he would have to admit that he did so as well, after all, the scratch mark that was on the side of the face of the man operated as a brand of sorts, the kind of brand that Fenrir Greyback used to place on the face of the muggle kids that he bite to mark them as his slaves.

"Werewolf," Harry suddenly said.

**PROJECT 19A708C OPERATION HERMIONE Page 16**

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E/N: As always, the next two chapters are available through p atreon ( www. p atreon user?u=21647731)


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: This is a **fan-fiction work**. The events depicted herein **did not happen** and **will not happen** in real life. The Author of this work **does not claim** to own the **Harry Potter Universe** or the copyright of the same. Any character that appears in this work **that may resemble a real person**, living or dead, **is not intended to represent such person**, and **any and all resemblance to such person is purely coincidental**. Please note that **some of the actions depicted in this work may be illegal** and **should not be imitated in real life**.

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**H ARRY POTTER AND THE KNIGHTS OF WALSINGHAM**

**FIVE**

There were huge stacks of paper on the side of the table, and that stack of paper, more than anything, reminded Harry of the fact that while he was seated on the side of a table with a plate of salmon steak in front of him, he was still supposed to be at work. The fact that he was actually at the Leaky Cauldron and was supposed to be having dinner was also belied by that stack of paper that he was supposed to go through, yet at the same time, he could not bring himself to blame the person who had brought that huge stack of paper with her and who had insisted that they have a working dinner.

The presence of that huge stack of papers was something that Harry had used to convince Tom the barkeep that they would need a private parlor, and the ever helpful proprietor of the Leaky Cauldron was more than happy to offer one of his private parlors.

A small smile actually formed across the face of Harry as he turned his attention toward the person who had made the suggestion, and for a few moments, he found himself staring at one of his oldest and dearest friends. Hermione had her attention turned toward her own plate, which meant that she did not even notice that Harry was staring at her until after a few moments later when she turned her attention away from the plate and toward him.

If he was being honest, Harry would have to admit that he expected the questioning look that was on the face of his friend, after all, she had just caught him staring at her, though if he would continue to be honest, he would have to admit that he is not sure as to the reason why he is staring at her in the first place.

Harry shook his head to force himself out of his reverie. By the time that he finished shaking his head, Hermione had already returned her attention toward her plate, and though he told himself that he should focus his attention toward his own plate, before he realized it, Harry was again staring at Hermione.

As the raven-haired auror captain watched his friend demolish – and that was quite literal – her plate, he could not help but smile as he silently remarked to himself that despite the fact that Hermione is obviously rushing through her plate, she was not forgetting her manners. That smile on his face actually broadened as he asked himself how different it would have been if it was Ron who was in front of him right now.

Despite the smile that remained on his face, as his thoughts turned toward the eating manners of his other friend, he could not help but mentally frown – and indeed, the only reason that he did not allow that frown to appear on his face at that moment was because he feared that Hermione would see the frown and she would interpret it as meant for her – at the image that came to the forefront of his mind.

Rather than lose himself in thinking about his other friend, however, the auror captain forced himself back into the present, and this time, he was successfully able to turn his attention away from Hermione and toward the direction of the stacks of paper that she had brought with her when she arrived here.

That they are using stacks of paper rather than parchment is something that brought another smile to appear on the face of Harry at the same time that the sight of the paper reminded him that it was actually one of the things that he and Hermione are proud about. Prior to the two of them joining the Ministry, the magical world is stuck with using parchment and quill, which was something that did not sit well with Harry given how 'difficult' his handwriting is.

Not for the first time, Harry wondered why Hermione insisted on using paper and modern pens, because her handwriting had been perfect even when she is using parchment and quill, but then he realized that it was probably because Hermione preferred to use the more modern writing implements.

The stacks of paper that Hermione had brought with her represented not only her work, but also his. She had told him that they might as well get some work done rather than waste their time just chatting here, and if he was being honest, Harry would have to admit that that declaration hurt him a little. Still, he was easily able to turn the hurt away as he knew that Hermione had said without the intention of hurting him, and with a sigh, the auror captain reminded himself that the unspoken implication of the suggestion of Hermione is correct.

There was a lot of work that had to be done, and there was not enough time to do it. He supposed that he could have asked some of the members of the support staff at the auror office to work with them, but the decision to ask Hermione alone for dinner was something that Harry had made for the reason that there was actually something else that he wanted to speak with her about.

'_And it has nothing to do with Hermione refusing the offer of Ron to move in with him,'_ he thought at the same time that he remembered the letter from his girlfriend that was waiting for him at the surface of his desk the moment that he returned to his office from their inspection.

Ginny had told him that she would be leaving for the mainland early because their team had suddenly booked a practice match with another team at the same pitch where their next ranking match would be held. The fact that he had opened the letter after Ginny had left precluded Harry from interposing his objection to her decision to leave early, but then he realized that even if Ginny was actually in front of him to deliver the news, there was still nothing that Harry could have done or said that would convince the red-haired quidditch player to stay.

In the same letter, Ginny had asked Harry to speak with Hermione about the proposal of Ron, with his own girlfriend telling Harry that it would be in the best interest of everyone if Hermione were to accept the proposal. With a soft mental sigh, Harry told himself that while Ginny had not actually demanded that Harry tell Hermione to accept the proposal of Ron, the words that Ginny had used implied that that was exactly what Ginny wanted Harry to do.

'_It is not as if I could tell Hermione what to do, though,'_ he told himself.

There are many things that are preventing Harry from actually agreeing with the suggestion of Ron, but if there was one thing that was truly holding Harry back, it was the fact that Hermione had not talked about her parents since the time that she had brought them back from Australia.

That may not seem to be related to the proposal of Ron that Hermione move in with her, but Harry was reasonably certain that they are actually related. Should Hermione move in with Ron, it would mean that she would have to dispose of her apartment in the muggle world, and the reason why Hermione had taken an apartment in the first place was because she had moved out of her childhood home and away from her parents.

It may be something that happened naturally, but the fact that Hermione had not actually spoken about her parents told Harry that there was something else going on.

"Are you thinking about what we found this morning, or are you thinking about something else?" the voice of Hermione tore Harry out of his reverie and back into the present. By the time that he turned his attention toward Hermione, he could see that she had already nearly finished her dinner, but the reason that she had stopped was because she was actually looking at Harry with a questioning expression on her face.

Harry had known Hermione since they were eleven years old, and while their relationship had began with a rocky start, there was no one else in the world – and Harry would include Ron and Ginny in that number – that knew him far better than Hermione would. In that same vein, he is quite sure that he knew Hermione far better than Ron or Ginny, and he knew that that look on her face was one that she would use when she wants to tell the person at the other end of that look that she wants an answer to her question.

A sigh escaped from the lips of Harry as he finally said, "That, among other things."

Harry would have to admit that he did not expect a nod to come from Hermione in response to the words that have come out of his mouth, but before he could say anything, the beautiful brunette in front of him said, "I wonder what those other things are," before a soft smile came across her face and she added before Harry could say anything, "This werewolf connection is disturbing."

The words that came out of the mouth of Hermione forced Harry into working mode, and he nodded, "Yes," he replied.

During the final battle of the Second Blood War, the werewolves have suffered numerous casualties, including almost all of their senior leaders. Those that have not been killed during the battle were captured by the Ministry and thrown into Azkaban – '_after due trial, thankfully,'_ Harry added – and that last that he had heard, not a single one of them had actually been let out by the Ministry.

The decimation of their ranks after the Battle of Hogwarts meant that the werewolves had not been much of a group in the crosshairs of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Sure, there are incidents involving werewolves – and here, Harry remembered his last case involving a werewolf – but it had involved one or two wolves, four at the most.

It would seem that the packs have been unable to find a leader that all the packs could support, and that meant no central leadership for the packs.

What they had uncovered from the crime scene this morning, however, would seem to indicate that the werewolves are finally organizing, and though they are not sure if they are doing so under one leader, Harry would have to admit that the werewolves reorganizing themselves is something that he and his department should look into, if only to prepare for the future.

"We have intelligence sources from within the pack," Hermione said a few moments later, forcing Harry to turn his attention toward her direction at the same time that he was forced to ask if Hermione could read what he was thinking, but with a mental shake of his head, the auror captain told himself that that is impossible, after all, his mental shields are the best in the British Isles, and Hermione does not even know Legilimancy.

Even if she did know how to use that art, there was actually no need for her to resort to the same because Harry would just tell him what he was thinking about, and she knew it.

The fact that he did not reply to Hermione was something that the brunette had taken as an indication that she should continue, so that was what she did, "We have known for quite some time that the packs are organizing themselves, but we did not think that they would be capable of actually working together for another few months, at least."

Harry used the silence that followed to think about what Hermione had just said. Contrary to what an average witch or wizard in Magical Britain – or the magical world for that matter – had been taught, most werewolves are solitary creatures who prefer to be alone. The term 'pack' might refer to a gathering of werewolves that may number in the dozen, but it would also refer to a werewolf couple, their children, and maybe one or two trusted werewolves.

Also, unlike vampires, most werewolves would avoid passing on the affliction to their loved ones as they are aware of how painful the change could be.

More than anyone, it was Fenrir Greyback who had changed the social norms of the werewolf society, gathering the most aggressive werewolves under his command so that he could use them to spread the affliction as far and as wide as possible. It was also the reason why Greyback had been a priority target prior to the Second Blood War.

"Do you have an identity of the leader of the wolves?" Harry suddenly asked.

If he was being honest, Harry would have to admit that he expected Hermione to reply in the negative. The auror captain was of the belief that it was still too early for the leader of an uprising – and he was already considering this as an uprising – to reveal himself to others. It is quite possible that there are those who are part of the rank-and-file who knew the leader, but much as Grindelwald and Voldemort had done it during the early phase of their rise to power, Harry had expected the aspiring leader of the werewolves to hide himself.

That is the reason why his eyes widened when he saw Hermione nod in response to the question that Harry had asked, but before he could say anything, Hermione cut him off as she said, "His name is Erik Hound," before she waved her left hand, causing a particular folder that Harry assumed was full of files about the man that Hermione had just named to separate itself from the stack of papers that Hermione had brought.

Harry could feel the magic of Hermione in the air as she used her admittedly good wandless prowess to cause the folder to land on the surface in front of Harry, with the edge of the paper just a centimeter away from the plate that was on the surface in front of him. The precision with which Hermione had controlled the landing of the folder spoke of her prowess with wandless magic, and it made Harry smile even if he would have to admit that it was probably not appropriate for him to do so.

The auror captain quickly reached for the envelope in front of him and he was quick to retrieve the files that were included inside the envelope. As Hermione had waited for him to finish reading the reports, silence descended inside the private parlor that the two of them were in. After three minutes, Harry replaced the files that he had been reading on the surface in front of him, but the auror-captain did not bother to return the papers back into envelope.

"The would-be leader of the werewolves in the British Isles is not a muggle-born, but a muggle?" Harry asked.

He was sure that the tone that he had used would advertise the fact that he could not believe the information that he had just been presented, and from the look on the face of Hermione, the auror captain realized that even Hermione could not believe the veracity of the information that she was presenting. Still, Hermione would not have presented this information to Harry if she did not think that it was worth something.

"That was my reaction as well when I first heard of this," Hermione admitted. She paused briefly, though she did not wait long enough for him to say anything, instead, she continued, "but now that you know that, you would have to admit that it would explain a lot of about the predicament that we are in."

Rather than reply right away, Harry actually paused. Hermione was correct – of course – that the leader of the werewolves – or at least, the aspiring leader of the werewolves – being a muggle would explain a lot of things, after all, while a pureblood wizard or witch may not know about the power of nuclear weapons, those that were raised in the muggle world would, and the fact that the aspiring-leader of the werewolves is actually a muggle would indicate that the man knew more about nuclear weapons than the average muggle born witch or wizard.

More worryingly is the fact that, being a muggle, the aspiring leader of the werewolves may actually be capable of transforming the missing nuclear material into something that could cause nightmares not only for the magical world, but also for the muggle world. Even if Erik Hound himself has no background in nuclear science, then perhaps one of his underlings, or maybe even just an acquaintance, would have that knowledge.

Indeed, Harry realized a few moments later that there was actually no need for Erik Hound himself to be the one to turn the missing materials into weapons, and the person who would turn the nuclear materials into nuclear weapons need not be willing to do so. With a small ironic smile, Harry told himself that such a person need not even be aware of what he was doing.

"What is the target though?" Harry suddenly asked, he turned his complete attention toward Hermione and he would have to admit that he was not surprised when he saw the confused expression on her face. Harry did not even need to hear Hermione say anything to know that she was also surprised about the leap in his thinking as he knew that she was wondering how revealing the identity of the aspiring leader of the werewolves is connected to Harry asking what the target would be.

The leap in the thinking of Harry was probably one of the few things in the world that Hermione could not follow, and because she could not do so, she just sat at her seat, staring at Harry with a wide-eyed expression that would have told anyone that was looking at her that she was waiting for him to explain. Harry, however, was already formulating plans in his head as to how to head-off Erik Hound and whatever it is that he is planning.

A part of Harry cautioned him there and then as it told him that it is quite possible that he was jumping to conclusions, after all, there was actually no proof that Erik Hound was the one behind the theft, but that part of his mind was silenced by the larger part of his consciousness, that part of the consciousness of Harry that was itching to dive straight into action.

"Do we know where they are?" Harry suddenly asked.

From the look on the face of Hermione, it was obvious that she did not expect Harry to turn his attention back toward her so quickly. Still, this was Hermione, and despite the surprise that was clearly evident on her beautiful face, she quickly nodded to Harry, "Yes," she replied.

"Then I would assemble a team to conduct a spot raid of the hideout," he replied. He turned his attention toward Hermione, and was surprised when he saw a hesitating look on the face of his friend. It was not a look that he was familiar with, though this is not the first time that he had seen that look, and this prompted Harry to begin to ask Hermione what was wrong, though even as his lips parted to ask the question, the brunette in front of him suddenly nodded.

This caused Harry to pause as he was unsure as to what Hermione was agreeing to. The fact that he paused precluded Harry from regaining control of the pace of the conversation, and it was something that Hermione was more than happy to exploit, "You are probably going to need the entire auror department," she said, and before Harry could ask why that would be the case, she explained, "While the Hound pack is not as big as the Greyback pack had been at its height, we have reason to believe that most of the werewolves that had been part of the Greyback pack but who had not been picked up after the Battle of Hogwarts have aligned under the Hound Pack," there was a brief pause before Hermione added, "And their hideout is rather large, you would have to cover more than a dozen egress points."

'_Each of those points would have to be covered by at least a squad of aurors,'_ Harry thought.

"We'll have to plan for this thoroughly," Harry said with a nod. He turned his attention toward Hermione, and the hesitating look was still on her pretty face, forcing him to ask her, "Is there something else?"

Hermione hesitated only for the briefest instant, though it was more than enough for Harry to believe that she may not actually say what she wanted to say. Still, before he could part his lips, Hermione continued, "We're going to have to work with Sir Matthew and his people for this one, Harry," she said.

This time, it was the turn of Harry to hesitate. He acknowledged that there was truth in words of Hermione, and besides, working with the muggles would actually mean that he would not have to cover all of the egress points of the hideout of the werewolves with his own people. In case the stolen nuclear materials could actually be located in the hide-out of the werewolves, the muggles would also have the capacity to secure the area and the nuclear material, but there was something in the way that Hermione had spoken that made Harry hesitate.

Hermione did not say anything right after the words that have just escaped from her mouth, even if Harry had also paused. That meant for a few moments, silence once more descended inside the room, though unlike earlier, the silence that descended this time was uncomfortable enough that both Harry and Hermione parted their lips to say something a few moments later.

Seeing that Hermione was going to say something, Harry initially paused, but when Hermione saw that Harry was also about to say something, she also paused. This time, rather than allow the uncomfortable silence to resume, Harry decided to break it with his words, "Of course," he said, though even to Harry that sounded hollow. Indeed, it was more than enough to force the auror captain to say a few moments later, "We would coordinate with Sir Matthew for this one, of course."

The neutral look that arrived on the face of Hermione did not change even when Harry found himself staring at her. Once more, an uncomfortable silence descended inside the private parlor, and once more, it was Harry who broke the silence, "Hermione," he said, and in reaction to him calling her name, she turned her attention toward him, causing him to fidget – though he was able to minimize the same – as he realized that he actually has nothing more to say about this particular topic.

With Hermione staring at him, Harry decided that he needed to keep the conversation going, which is why he decided that the time is right for him to go into the reason that he asked Hermione out to this dinner in the first place.

Before he could push the first words out of his mouth, the auror captain paused as he studied the features on the face of Hermione at the same time that he asked himself if this was actually something that he should ask her. Whatever hesitation it was that he may have felt, however, they all faded a few moments away as he pushed the words out of his mouth, "About your parents…," he began.

Harry was actually caught by surprise when Hermione suddenly turned her complete attention toward him, though if he was being honest, the reason why he was surprised was because of the glare that she gave him. It was hardly the first time that he had seen that glare on the face of Hermione, and it was not the first time that he had been the recipient of that glare as well, but there was something in the way that she was glaring at him that made him pause at the same time that it made him curious as to why Hermione did not want to talk about her parents at that moment.

That Hermione did not want to talk about her parents was rather obvious because of the glare that was on her face, and Harry decided that he would have to abandon this line of questioning for the time being.

There was no way for Hermione to actually hear the resolution of Harry at that moment, but for one reason or another, she stopped glaring at him a few moments later. Still, before Harry could say anything, Hermione allowed a sigh to escape from her lips, and this was quickly followed by Hermione saying, "Please, Harry, let us not talk about my parents today."

The tone that Hermione had used suggested to Harry that Hermione was desperate when she made that plea, and that caused Harry to nod, though he did not say anything.

In any case, even if Harry had said something, he doubted that Hermione would have heard him, because at the same time that he nodded, a cat entered the private parlor. Unlike a normal cat, however, this one did not enter through any of the doors or windows in the room, instead, it simply passed through the walls of the room, a feat that it was able to achieve owing to the fact that the cat was made of a mist that had somehow solidified into forming a cat.

"Mr. Potter," the familiar voice seemingly came from the cat, but Harry was familiar with the patronus spell being used as an emergency means of communicating enough to be aware that it was not actually the mist speaking, rather, the mist is just delivering the message that it had been given, and besides, Harry – as well as Hermione – was familiar with the owner of the voice that came from the cat.

The owner of the voice, after all, had been one of his professors at Hogwarts, and is probably one of his most trusted people.

"I need you to come to Hogwarts as soon as possible, Mr. Potter," the voice of Headmistress Minerva McGonagall carried with it no sense of urgency, yet the fact that she had to resort to the use of her patronus to deliver the message rather than use the slower owl delivery system was testament to the fact that whatever is the reason behind the request of the Headmistress, it was urgent enough.

Draco Malfoy stared at the portrait in front of him while he kept his right hand resting on the surface of the impressive mahogany table that was between where he was seated and the portrait that he was staring at. On the surface of the table, there was a half-empty bottle of leprechaun whisky – '_At least it's not like leprechaun gold,'_ he thought – that was missing its cork and a whiskey glass that was half full of an amber liquid.

He turned his attention away from the portrait in front of him at the same time that his right hand moved to grasp the half full glass and with one swift motion, Draco lifted the glass until the hem of the same was practically touching his lower lip before he tipped it slightly so as to allow a small amount of the amber-colored liquid inside the glass to enter his mouth. He did not even wait for two seconds before he swallowed the liquid and as he felt the now familiar burning sensation on his throat, he returned his attention toward the portrait.

'_Two of our allied races are about to start a war against each other,'_ he thought, '_and there is nothing that we could do about it.'_

He fought the urge to curse at the same time that he replaced his glass on the surface in front of him. He was about to wave his left hand – and use his wandless magic – to cause the bottle containing the whisky to float in mid-air and refill his glass, but at almost the same time that he raised his hand, he thought better of it and lowered his left hand instead.

'_I need to sober up,'_ he thought, yet even as that thought entered the forefront of his mind, he actually made no effort to follow through with the resolution that he had made. Instead, he returned his attention toward the direction of the portrait in front of him, before he waved his hand and caused the curtains on either side of the portrait to move, blocking his view of the same.

Draco turned his attention toward the chair in front of the table and he could not help but let out a sigh as he remembered that yesterday, a muggle had sat there with no fear that he may not be able to leave the ancestral home of the House of Malfoy with his head attached to his shoulders. Indeed, Erik Hound had not shown the slightest bit of respect to the heir of the House of Malfoy as well, demanding instead that the House of Malfoy come to the aid of the werewolves in accordance with an agreement that the werewolves had entered back when the House of Malfoy had been the leaders of the purebloods that have flocked under the banner of the Dark Lord.

Erik Hound had to be reminded that with the demise of the Dark Lord, all agreements entered into by the House of Malfoy with the allies of the Dark Lord had been considered suspended, and Draco had to remind the muggle werewolf who is somehow able to grow his power in such a way that he is the de facto leader of all werewolves in the British Isles that the Ministry is watching all of them.

Another sigh escaped from the lips of Draco as he forced himself to consider the information that the muggle werewolf had given him. The information had not been much, but from what Draco had been able to piece together since then, he was able to figure out that the werewolves and the vampires – '_Two races that have fought with us during the Second Blood War,'_ he thought – are about to come head to head against each other over some slight.

If he was being honest, the heir to the House of Malfoy would have to admit that he actually has no idea who had provoked the other, just as he had no idea as to exactly what steps each had already taken against the other. What he does know is that, soon, the werewolves are going to launch an offensive against the vampires, and Erik Hound had warned him that the werewolves are 'going to eradicate all vampires in the British Isles with the power of a second sun'.

What that phase meant was something that Draco was curious about, but he was not going to waste time trying to find out what it meant, especially when at that moment, he is more concerned not about the fact that the two races are about to go to war with each other, but about the fact that it was only the werewolves that had come to him.

'_Why are the long-lived clans not calling on us?'_ he asked himself, yet no answer was forthcoming. Indeed, even if Draco were to ask that question to one of his underlings, he was sure that no answer would be forthcoming, after all, it is only the vampires who would be able to answer the question of why the vampires have not yet appeared before the House of Malfoy to ask for help.

'_Do they really think that they can handle the werewolves alone?'_ he though.

The musings of Draco were interrupted at that moment by a popping sound. That sound warned him that one of his elves had just entered the room, and he turned his attention toward the direction of where the sound came from just in time to see another one of his elves pop into existence.

"Be begging the master's pardon," the elf said at the same time that it bowed so low, the tip of its crooked nose might as well be touching the marble floors of the library of the manor, "You is having a visitor, Master."

Draco nodded, "Who is it?" he asked, yet at the same time that he asked that question, he told himself that he should have already been able to guess who the visitor is, after all, he was the one who had asked for him to come so that he could speak with him.

"It is being Master Blaise Zabini, Master," the elf replied, causing Draco to nod. Blaise had been the man that he had sent a letter to, requesting for his presence, and it would appear that the Italian-born British pureblood was quick to answer his request. He turned his attention to the elf before he gave it a nod, and the lowly creature took that to mean that he should guide the guest into the library where Draco was waiting, before popping out of the room.

As soon as the left had left, Draco waved his right hand, willing his magic to move the half empty bottle of leprechaun whisky to an end table that was about fifteen feet away from where it was at that moment, together with the glass from which Draco had been drinking. The heir of House Malfoy did not even bother to watch, but then again, that may be because at that same moment, he heard the door to the library open and he had to turn his complete attention toward that direction.

There was a look of irritation on the face of Blaise Zabini as he strolled into the library, walking as if he owned the place. That he was still wearing his ministry uniform told Draco that his old classmate had actually come straight into the manor from his work, which may explain the reason behind the irritated look on the face of Blaise, though that does not explain the deliberate attempt on the part of Blaise to irritate Draco.

Without even waiting for Draco to say anything, the Italian-born British pureblood took a seat in front of the table, causing the heir of House Malfoy to frown. That frown was in response to the apparent lack of manners that Blaise was showing as he should have waited for Draco to invite him to sit first, though Draco did not have the time to reprimand Blaise as the ministry worker once more showed his irritation when he did not even wait for Draco to say anything before he spoke.

"If you are worried if the Ministry is suspecting you for something," Blaise began, "Then that is a baseless worry."

Draco did not attempt to hide the frown that appeared on his face. Blaise works for the Department of Ministry Support Services, specifically, he is in charge of making sure that the different departments in the ministry could communicate with each other, and in that position, that meant that he is privy to most confidential information in the Ministry.

While it may seem to be a prestigious position, it actually was not, but with his family being included in a list of possible supporters of the Dark Lord, it was about as high as he could get within the Ministry. Indeed, the fact that the House of Zabini had not taken part in the Battle of Hogwarts is the only reason why Blaise could even apply for the Ministry in the first place.

In this position, Blaise had been able to read most messages in the Ministry and was, thus, able to keep track of possible attempts against his former comrades, making him an invaluable asset, but that is not the reason why Draco had asked for him today.

The reason that he had asked for the Italian-born pureblood was because of all the pureblood families in the British Isles at that moment, the House of Zabini is the one that has the most connection with the long-lived clans, after all, the founder of House Zabini is still one of the most influential council leaders among the governing council of the long-lived clans.

"Blaise," Draco suddenly said, and because the heir of House Malfoy had used a conciliatory tone, the heir of House Zabini found himself unable to continue with his belligerence. Instead, he turned his complete attention toward Draco, falling into a trap that the heir of House Malfoy had set and had sprung a few moments later when Draco suddenly said, "I need your help."

The Italian-born pureblood actually paused at that moment, and Draco had to visibly stop himself from smiling as he added, "I need to get in touch with the founder of your House."

That Blaise was surprised by the request of Draco was obvious from the way that he reacted. Draco saw him blink once before he asked, "What?" and from the tone that Blaise had used, it was easy to see that that was not actually how Blaise had wanted to react.

**PROJECT 19A708C OPERATION HERMIONE Page 15**

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E/N: As always, the next two chapters are available through p atreon ( w ww.p /stalker_Ace) - please remove spaces in url.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: This is a **fan-fiction work**. The events depicted herein **did not happen** and **will not happen** in real life. The Author of this work **does not claim** to own the **Harry Potter Universe** or the copyright of the same. Any character that appears in this work **that may resemble a real person**, living or dead, **is not intended to represent such person**, and **any and all resemblance to such person is purely coincidental**. Please note that **some of the actions depicted in this work may be illegal** and **should not be imitated in real life**.

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**HARRY POTTER AND THE KNIGHTS OF WALSINGHAM**

**SIX**

The lights coming from the castle served as a beacon into the evening sky, and it was exactly as Harry remembered it from the first time that he had seen it all those years ago. A smile actually came across the face of the auror captain as he remembered the first time that he had seen the castle all those years ago, it had been a refugee from his childhood, a place to find friends and though he would be the first to admit that not everything that had happened to him in the school was good, there were still far more good things that had happened to him in this school than the bad.

That, in turn, was more than enough for him to consider Hogwarts as his home, and he was sure that he is not the only person who thinks that way.

A popping sound to his side made him turn his attention toward that direction, though by the time that he turned his attention there, Hermione had materialized out of thin air. Harry had been the first to appear as close as possible to the wards of Hogwarts so he had no idea how much time had passed before Hermione had followed him, but nearly a full minute had actually passed since he had arrived before Hermione materialized.

He did not think anything of it though, and simply fixed his gaze toward Hermione to see if there was something wrong. When her deep brown chocolate eyes refused to show him any clue if there was actually something wrong, he checked her with his eyes from the top of her head down to her foot, reminding himself that even he would sometimes mess up and splinch himself, especially this close to powerful wards that are designed to prevent apparition into the grounds of the school.

The quick check confirmed to Harry that Hermione was in one piece, and when he returned his attention toward the eyes of Hermione, he saw that she was also looking at him, no doubt checking if he was also in one piece, though unlike Harry, when the brunette noticed that Harry was looking at her, she gave him a smile before inclining her head politely toward the direction of the castle in an unspoken suggestion that he go in first.

Harry knew the reason for that, of course. The message that they had received from the Headmistress had only mentioned Harry and not Hermione. It was quite possible that the Headmistress was not aware that Hermione was with Harry, just as it is quite possible that the message was meant only for Harry. The seriousness of the situation though – as evidenced by the method with which the Headmistress had sent the message – convinced Hermione that it was an emergency situation, and that made her decide to accompany Harry into the school.

The auror captain turned his attention forward, but rather than looking into the lights of the castle that acted as a beacon into the night, Harry fixed his attention toward the wrought iron fence of Hogwarts. Technically, the grounds of Hogwarts do not begin until they had passed that gate, but as he took a step forward, Harry almost felt the wards of the castle physically push against him before it faded into nothingness.

He had crossed the ward line of Hogwarts more than enough times to know that despite the apparent physical push of the wards against him, it was not as if the castle would refuse him entry.

The power difference between Harry and Hermione became more apparent a few moments later when it was the turn of Hermione to step across the ward line. Unlike Harry, the brunette witch did not pause as she crossed the ward line and that, more than anything, told Harry that Hermione did not feel the wards against her. It was, however, not surprising.

Rather than make an issue of it, Harry decided to just turn his complete attention toward the direction of the gate, and as he had expected, there was some sort of alarm signal that was incorporated into the wards, because when Harry turned his attention toward the direction of the gates, it was actually already opening, though as it moved, it made no sound, contrary to its appearance as a wrought iron fence.

"I always wondered if that was a function of magic or if the gate is really just well oiled," Hermione said a few moments later, forcing Harry to turn his attention toward her, only for him to see that she was paying complete attention toward the direction of the gate. There was, however, a smile on her face, and Harry realized that his best friend was actually quite amused by what she was seeing at that moment.

Rather than answer her, however, Harry merely returned his attention toward the direction of the fence. He turned his attention toward that direction just in time to see a Hogwarts professor wearing the standard black robes that one might have expected appear out of thin air, causing an ironic smile to appear on the face of Harry.

'_The Hogwarts wards are world famous for being powerful enough to prevent anyone from apparating into the castle,'_ he thought, '_but it was not until recently that they realized that that does not mean that they cannot apparate within the wards.'_

Even as that thought entered the forefront of the mind of Harry, however, he actually mentally frowned as he told himself that perhaps his earlier statement was not entirely true. Certainly, it was not until after the battle that people have realized that they could apparate within the grounds, but Harry was quite certain that there are those who are aware of that quirk of the wards.

'_Professor Dumbledore always appear to be at the right place at the right time,'_ he thought.

Any further musings on the part of Harry were interrupted at that moment when the professor that had apparently come to greet them started to walk toward them. The professor did not even try to maintain the appearance that he was not in a hurry, because as soon as the gates were open, he actually broke into a flat run until he was in front of Harry and Hermione.

As he was running, the cowl that the professor was wearing fell off of the top of his head, revealing his face – and his identity – to Harry and Hermione, and causing both of them to smile as they recognize him.

"Neville," Hermione was the first to greet their former classmate and hero of the Battle of Hogwarts, but she did not embrace him as she would usually have done if it was Harry that she was greeting.

The thought of Hermione embracing something else caused a sharp pain at the top of the stomach of Harry. It was as if he had been kicked by something there, and it confused him for a few moments, though before he could even begin to decipher the reason behind that pain, he forced himself to return to the present.

It was not only the consciousness of Harry that had compelled him to return to the present, however, because by the time that he returned to the present, he could see that Neville had already turned his attention toward him.

"Harry," Neville said, extending his right hand toward Harry who automatically accepted the offered hand. As the two of them shook hands, Harry noted the firm grip of his old friend at the same time that he told himself that this is the man that had once been so scared of one of their professors, that very professor was the form that his boggart had taken.

Neville, however, had grown up. Indeed, this young man had been instrumental during the Battle of Hogwarts when he killed the pet snake of Lord Voldemort, and by so doing, he secured the final victory of Harry over the Dark Lord. Like all veterans of the battle, Neville had been offered the chance to become an auror without going through the usual procedures, but the green-thumb Gryffindor had refused the offer, preferring instead to return to Hogwarts and apprentice under the tutelage of Professor Sprout so that he could take over the position of the Herbology professor when the Head of Hufflepuff House finally decides to retire.

"Nev," Harry said. The two of them lowered their hands at the same time, allowing Harry to place a concerned look on his face as he asked the junior member of the Hogwarts staff, "the Headmistress had asked me to come here."

"I know," Neville replied. He turned his back toward Harry and Hermione at the same time that he motioned for them to follow him, but though Neville had already turned his back toward the auror captain, he was not fast enough to prevent Harry from seeing the worried expression on his face. It was that worried expression that caused a frown to appear on the face of Harry as it became obvious to him that whatever was the reason that his former professor had summoned Harry, the members of the staff knew about it.

Neville was already moving back toward the castle by the time that Harry had come out of his reverie, and he was surprised to see that Hermione was also moving. Harry had not been lost in his own world for that long, however, and the auror captain was quickly able to resume his pace with his friends even before they could realize what was going on.

Perhaps the reason for that would be because Neville had his back turned toward Harry, but then again, perhaps the reason for that would have to be because as he walked back toward the gates of the castle, Neville was already speaking, "We found a body by the edge of the Forbidden Forest this evening," he said.

The gasp that escaped from Hermione made Harry turn his attention toward her, and as he had expected, she was already covering her mouth with her hands. That meant that Hermione was unable to say anything as Harry thought to himself that a dead student would certainly be something that would concern the Headmistress, though it would usually not be something that would warrant the intervention of an auror captain like himself.

'_Unless there is evidence of foul play,'_ Harry thought. If he would have been asked at that moment, he would have admitted that, at that moment, he was already thinking of what he would be doing in the future. As important as the case of the missing nuclear material would be, the death of a student in Hogwarts was also something that would have to be taken care of by Harry himself.

Fortunately, Neville released him from having to worry about that a few moments later when the junior member of the staff added, "He is not a student, but he is also not a member of the staff," he said.

The latest remarks to escape from the mouth of Neville confused Harry, and before he could stop himself, he turned his attention toward the direction of Hermione at the same time that she turned her attention toward him. Hermione is one of the smartest people that Harry had known in his life, but the look on her pretty face when she turned her attention toward him told the auror captain that she was also just as confused as Harry even as they crossed into the technical grounds of Hogwarts.

Crossing into the grounds of Hogwarts allowed Harry to see the Forbidden Forest, and before he could even think, he turned his attention toward the direction of the edge of the forest. The edge of the forest seemed peaceful enough, yet Harry knew that that could be an illusion as beyond that edge lies the home of creatures that few people – even among the many magical creatures experts in the magical world – understood.

"Who is he, Neville?" the voice of Hermione tore Harry out of his reverie, forcing the auror captain to return his attention back toward his companion. By the time that he had returned his attention toward Hermione and Neville, the auror captain noted that Neville had also returned his attention toward Hermione.

"We don't know," he admitted, surprising Harry when a frustrated look actually appeared on his face, "All that we know is that he is not a student or a member of the staff," there was a brief pause before the Herbology apprentice added, "The Headmistress is waiting for us at the Hospital Wing."

That actually caused a smile to appear on the face of Harry as he remembered one of the places in Hogwarts that he actually disliked. It was not that he disliked the occupant of the Hospital Wing, after all, Madame Pomfrey had patched him back together more times than Harry would care to admit, it was just that a stay in the Hospital Wing meant that he had been hurt. While being hurt himself was not something that bothered Harry all that much, he knew that the fact that he is hurt worried Hermione a lot, which was why he always tried his best not to land in that part of Hogwarts.

Two quick popping sounds tore Harry out of his reverie, and without even turning his attention toward his companions, he knew that they had already apparated to the Hospital Wing. He did not even allow himself a moment to let out a sigh before Harry also willed himself into the Hospital Wing of the castle. The sensation of being forced into a straw momentarily discomforted the auror captain, but because the sensation lasted only for a few moments, Harry was quite quick to get over it.

As he had expected, there were a lot of people in the Hospital Wing, and the first person that he turned his attention to was Headmistress Minerva McGonagall. The Headmistress of Hogwarts did not look a day older since the last time that Harry had walked out of Hogwarts as a student, though from the increased frown lines that were on the face of the former Head of Gryffindor House, the auror captain could tell that she was worried.

Also present in the infirmary was the Deputy Headmaster in the form of Charms Professor Filius Flitwick, the Head of Hufflepuff House Pomona Sprout, and the Head of Gryffindor House Annie Brie. Curiously absent, however, was the Head of Slytherin House and the Gamekeeper and Keeper of Keys, though in the case of the latter, Harry was certain the Headmistress had sent Hagrid into the forest to see if there are other bodies that could be found there, seeing as the reason why he had been summoned here was because they had found the body of an unknown person at the edge of the forest.

"Mr. Potter," the Headmistress said with a polite tone. Her greeting made Harry focus his attention toward her, but by the time that he was able to recover from the momentary headache that always seem to rise up in the middle of his head after he had apparated, the Headmistress had already turned her attention toward Hermione, "And Ms. Granger as well."

"My apologies, Headmistress," Hermione said, and Harry noted that his best friend was actually using an apologetic tone. Before Professor McGonagall could say anything else, Hermione added, "Harry and I were in the middle of work when your message came."

"Indeed," the Headmistress replied with a tone that suggested – at least to Harry – that his former professor was aware that her message caught him and Hermione while they were in a private parlor at the Leaky Cauldron, causing Harry to want to avoid the gaze of his former head of house, at least for a few moments.

Harry realized that it was quite possible that the Headmistress was aware of that, but there was nothing in the literature, however, that suggested that the caster was aware of where her patronus had gone to deliver the message. As Harry had also used that same method of delivering urgent messages before, he knows for a fact that the caster cannot know where the patronus went to deliver the message.

"This way, please," the voice of the Headmistress tore Harry out of his reverie and back into the present, though by the time that he was able to come out of the same and return his attention toward his former professor, she was already walking deeper into the infirmary. Harry found himself with no choice but to follow suit, especially when the other professors began to follow their Headmistress.

The auror captain was able to spot the Matron of the Hospital Wing against one of the beds in the isolation ward where the Headmistress had led them, and even from afar, Harry could see that Madame Pomfrey was conferring with a man who was hunched over one of the beds. Upon that particular bed, the auror captain could see a body, and because that body was not moving, he concluded that it must be the one that had been found at the edge of the forest.

At the same time, the mystery of where the Head of Slytherin House had gone was solved, because the man who was hunched over the dead body was actually Horace Slughorn, the resident potions master of Hogwarts as well as the Head of Slyherin House.

"No doubt about it," the potions master was saying as Harry and the others entered the isolation ward. He was so concentrated on what he was doing that Harry doubted Professor Slughorn even realized their entry, though the auror captain was not about to disturb the man who had taught him potions for his final year at Hogwarts as he made his report, "Acromantula poison."

'_That's a bad way to go,'_ Harry thought at the same time that he turned his attention toward Hermione. She, however, had not turned her attention toward the direction of Harry. Not that it was necessary, of course, because even from where he was standing, Harry could tell from the expression on the face of Hermione that she was thinking the exact same way as Harry was at that moment.

It was only at that moment that Professor Slughorn realized that people have entered the isolation ward. Harry could actually see the eyes of the man widen at the same time that a grin crossed his face when the Head of Slytherin House saw Harry and Hermione, "Harry," he said, inclining his head toward the auror captain who frowned at the fact that his first name was used.

Professor Slughorn did not see the frown that appeared on the face of Harry in response to him using the name of the auror captain, because the Head of Slytherin House – and consummate influence peddler – turned his attention toward Hermione so that he could greet her as well, "Hermione," he said.

Harry did not need to turn his attention toward Hermione to know that his best friend was irritated, but unlike Harry, the brunette was better at controlling her emotions – or maybe it was because Harry just did not turn his attention toward her – because she did not say anything.

"Horace," the voice of the Headmistress, Harry saw, brought the potions master back to the real world, something that Harry was actually quite thankful for as it appeared to him that the professor was about to abandon what he was doing at that moment so that he could shake hands with Harry.

The auror captain watched as a disappointed look appeared on the face of Professor Slughorn, but apparently, the potions master was mindful of who had called for his attention as he quickly turned his attention toward the Headmistress. He was, however, not fast enough to be able to be the first to say something, because the moment that he turned his attention toward Professor McGonagall, the Headmistress said, "Please, tell us what you have found."

'_He must be so disappointed that he cannot peddle influence at the moment,'_ the auror captain thought. Harry was quite sure that that was what his old professor was thinking at that moment, yet despite that, the smile that was on the face of Professor Slughorn did not disappear. Indeed, the smile remained on his face even as he reported, "Death appears to have been by acromantula poison, though the amount recovered from his body indicates that death was not instantaneous."

'_If it was, then we would not be seeing his body right now,'_ Harry thought, reminding himself that the acromantula colony in the Forbidden Forest was deep inside the forest, that acromantulas rarely leave their nest, and that the giant spiders are actually flesh-eaters. That meant that if this man had died instantly, then his body would have been dragged by the spiders back to their nest, and he would have been eaten there.

The most likely scenario was that he was able to escape from the spiders that were chasing after him, yet because the poison was already in his system, even if the man was able to escape, he was already doomed. It was purely by chance that the man was able to come out of the forest.

"What about the arrows?" the voice of the Headmistress was once again sufficient to force Harry back into the present. Rather than turn his attention toward the Headmistress, however, he turned his attention toward the direction of Professor Slughorn, a decision that proved to be the correct one as a few moments later, the potions professor produced an arrow

Harry did not even need to closely examine the missile in order to know where it came from, and the report that came out of the mouth of the potions master a few moments later confirmed the suspicions of the auror captain, "Centaur arrows," the professor said.

'_So he ran into the centaurs after escaping from the acromantulas,'_ Harry thought, he turned his attention toward the dead man on the bed and actually shook his head as he considered how unlucky the man had been.

"Any clues as to who he is?" this time, it was Hermione who had asked the question.

In response to the question, Madame Pomfrey drew his wand, and with a simple wave, she caused a backpack and several other items to float in mid-air from within her office. The eyes of Harry widened when he saw the equipment, though he waited until they were resting on the bed beside the dead body before he turned his attention toward Hermione, only for him to discover that his best friend had not even bothered to wait because by the time that the auror captain had turned his attention toward Hermione, she was already looking at him.

Without either Harry or Hermione saying anything, the two of them moved toward the direction of the bed where the equipment of the man had landed, and the first thing that Harry did was grab the one item that caused his eyes to widen. The auror captain quickly removed the magazine of the bull-pup assault rifle before turning his attention toward the top of the same, quickly confirming that there were indeed bullets inside the curved container.

In front of him, Hermione found the sidearm of the man, and just as Harry had removed the magazine off of the rifle of the dead man, Hermione removed the magazine that was inside the pistol grip of the sidearm.

"I assume you know what these things are then, Mr. Potter," the voice of the Headmistress invaded the ears of Harry at the same time that he pulled the charging handle of the rifle. If it was possible, his face looked even sourer at the same time that a single bullet was ejected out of the rifle, and his face still held that sour look even when he turned his attention toward his old professor.

"Muggle assault rifle," the auror captain said. There were obviously some from the members of the staff that had no idea what Harry was talking about, though there were also those who, from the look on their faces, have shown that they know what Harry was talking about.

For those who had no idea what he was talking about, Hermione was quick to explain, "Think of it as a muggle wand," she said, "except that its only purpose is to kill."

The shocked and outraged looks on the faces of the members of the staff who had no idea what assault rifles are is, if Harry was being honest, expected. He was half certain that they would be screaming about muggles invading Hogwarts and the Forbidden Forest if he would have allowed them, but the auror captain forestalled them from expressing their outrage when he suddenly said, "This man is a muggle soldier."

At the same time that Harry was explaining that, Hermione was rifling through some of the other things that had floated into the bed beside the dead body. She had evidently found something a few moments later, however, as she quickly called for his attention, "Harry," she said.

He turned his attention toward her at the same time that she handed him a piece of cloth. It caused a look of confusion to appear on the face of Harry as he would be the first to admit that he had no idea what the piece of cloth was for, but when he turned it around, he saw the markings on the piece of cloth, causing him to frown.

The reason for the frown was because he recognized the rank insignia that was sewn into the piece of cloth that Hermione had handed him. It led the auror captain to ask himself what a lieutenant with the British Army was doing in the Forbidden Forest.

"There is also this," Hermione said. She did not even bother to wait until Harry had recovered from the piece of cloth that identified their dead guest as an officer in the British Army before she handed him another piece of cloth. Harry accepted the cloth, expecting the same to be another cause of shock for him, but when he looked at the same, he could only frown as he found that he cannot recognize anything about this particular cloth.

The insignia – a single stylized 'W' with two swords pointed downward crossed behind it and a St. Edward Crown above the W making it appear as if the letter was wearing it – was unfamiliar to Harry, causing him to turn his attention toward Hermione with a questioning look on his face. He already knew that she found something familiar about the insignia – she would not have handed it to him otherwise – though before he could ask her what about this particular insignia had caused her to hand the cloth to him, Harry was forced to pause.

That was because the auror captain had to turn his attention toward the direction of the entrance to the isolation ward, and barely a second after he had turned his attention toward that direction, the entrance to the isolation ward opened, admitting Ron Weasley and five other men – another auror and four members of the support staff – into the ward.

The look on the face of Ron told Harry that his red-headed best mate was surprised to find Harry, though when Ron turned his attention toward Hermione – and probably when he realized that Hermione was with Harry – an angry look of jealousy appeared on his face for a few moments. Harry decided not to note that look, mostly because it disappeared after a few moments, though he was quick to ask Ron, "What are you doing here?"

For a few moments, the senior auror looked as if he was not going to say anything, but then – apparently, Ron realized that this was his superior who was asking him questions – the red-headed senior auror opened his mouth, "We received a message from Neville asking us to come here," he said. He looked at Harry and asked, "You also received the message?"

Harry shook his head before he could stop himself, "No," he admitted, "The Headmistress asked for us."

Ron turned his attention toward the Headmistress at the same time that Harry did, and because he knew that his best mate had turned his attention toward their old professor, Harry knew that Ron caught the frown that appeared on the face of Professor McGonagall. Harry actually flinched as he realized that the reason behind the frown was because the Headmistress just realized that Harry and Hermione were not at the office when her message came despite their earlier claims that they were working.

She, however, was not going to make an issue of it, something that Harry was actually thankful about, because if Ron were to find out that he and Hermione were having dinner, there was no telling how much fireworks would be getting off.

"So," Ron said, turning his attention back toward Harry and Hermione, "What do we have?"

Instead of either Harry or Hermione replying to the question, it was Neville who answered. The apprentice Herbology professor apparently felt that it was his duty to explain things to Ron as he was the one who summoned the man and he quickly inclined his head toward the dead body lying on the infirmary bed, "We found a dead body by the edge of the Forbidden Forest earlier this evening," he said. "Professor Slughorn just confirmed that he died of acromantula poisoning."

So far, Neville had not said anything incriminating or liable to make the temper of Ron go ballistic, and as far as Harry was concerned, that was a small miracle. There was also the hesitation that appeared on the face of Ron when he was informed how the man had died, after all, Harry was not sure if his best mate had recovered from their visit to the acromantula colony when they were in their second year, and that had been during the time of the spider-king that did not outright attacked humans.

Of course, there was no way that that miracle would last, and the next words that came out of the mouth of the apprentice Herbology professor was exactly the words that caused the temper of Ron to explode, "Hermione said that he is a muggle military officer."

If Harry was being honest, he would have to admit that he knew the reason why the temper of his best mate was so short when it comes to military officers at that moment, after all, Ron had been knocked unconscious by a military officer during their visit to the site of the theft of the nuclear material. By the time that Harry and Hermione had revived Ron, the man responsible for knocking him out had already disappeared.

Ron was not a traditionalist pureblood who looked down on muggles – Hermione, after all, is his girlfriend – but he was pureblood enough to take it personally when Sir Matthew knocked him out and then threatened to kill him, and that was the reason why Ron had sworn revenge against the muggle government liaison.

Harry already had his attention turned toward Ron and was ready to respond to his best mate losing his temper. The auror captain was prepared to silence Ron with a spell if the red-head were to suddenly sprout incriminating things – in the aftermath of the war, a law was passed making any form of discrimination from the aurors as an offense that could see them fired – but it was not actually Ron who spoke.

"Muggles?" the voice of one of the members of the support staff that Ron had brought with him tore through the silence that followed after the revelation of Neville, and the outrage was so obvious in the voice of the man that Harry had to turn his attention toward his direction at the same time that he used his peripheral vision to watch as Hermione also turned her attention toward the man, "What are they doing here?"

If he were to be honest, the auror captain would have to admit that he does not actually know this man even if he was wearing the cyan robes that mark him as a member of the support staff of the auror corps. It was not something that was terribly surprising given how much the auror corps had expanded in the aftermath of the war, but the outrage that was dripping from the voice of the man was, if he was being honest, deeply concerning to Harry.

Of course, since this man is not an auror, he is not covered by the ban on the use of discriminating words, though listening to him was making Harry wish that he could expand the ban, and that was even if the man was not yet using those discriminating words.

"That is what we are here to find out," the auror captain said a few moments later, fixing the man who had spoken with a hard glare that made the support staff member back down. Indeed, he actually took a step back when he realized that Harry was glaring at him, though Harry would have to give him credit as he did not appear to be ready to surrender despite the fact that he actually tried to place distance between himself and Harry.

"Do you think this has something to do with the theft that we are investigating?" Ron suddenly asked.

The words that escaped from the lips of Ron made Harry glare at him, and this time, Ron actually backed away from Harry. Rather than remind Ron of the importance of keeping his mouth shut in regards to ongoing investigations, the auror captain simply shook his head toward the direction of Ron. Harry is not sure if that was enough to remind Ron about one of the fundamental rules of being an auror, yet at the same time, even if Harry wanted to remind him of that, this is not the particular place to do that.

Much as Harry would have wanted to chew Ron for his latest violations, however, the auror captain would have to admit – though he would not say that out loud to Ron as he knew that that would make his head grow bigger – that the question of Ron was a valid one. He turned his attention toward Hermione just in time to see her turn her attention toward him and place a questioning look on her face.

Evidently, Hermione was thinking the same way as Harry at that moment.

"Maybe you should speak with that muggle liaison," Ron said a few moments later, surprising Harry because he apparently recovered from the glare that Harry had given him. The suggestion, however, was a valid one, prompting Harry to return his attention back toward Hermione.

There was a look of irritation on the face of Hermione, though this time, that look of irritation was directed not toward Ron, but toward Harry. A single glance on the part of the auror captain reminded him of a promise he had made back when he was still a student here, the promise that he would try his best never to do anything stupid enough that would cause Hermione to glare at him like that, yet now, it would appear that he had failed to keep that promise.

Before the auror captain could say anything, however, Hermione allowed sigh to escape from her lips as she finally gave Harry a single nod, "Fine," she replied. Harry could still hear the faintest sounds of irritation on her voice when she said that, though when she spoke next, she added, "You know as well as I do that that is not how the muggle government works, Harry," she said, "but fine, I'll speak with Sir Matthew."

Harry actually paused at that, and before he could stop himself, his lips were already parted. He wanted to tell her that he never suggested to her that she should be the one to speak with the muggle liaison, he just wanted to ask Hermione what she thought about the suggestion of Ron. If he was being honest, Harry would have to admit that he actually did not want Hermione close to Sir Matthew because the earlier warnings of Ron had been right, there was something disconcerting about the man that the muggle government had appointed as its liaison for his investigation.

Still, the words that Harry wanted to say never made it out of his mouth as he suddenly glanced toward the direction of Ron. It was at that moment that Harry realized that his best mate would react – and he would react with jealousy – to any suggestion that Hermione and Harry talk with Sir Matthew, because Ron already knew that he would not be there to join them, not after the stunt that he tried to pull at the crime site, and letting Harry and Hermione go without him was going to feed into his insecurities.

"What about the body?" the same man that had been the first to express outrage over the presence of muggles in Hogwarts tore Harry out of his reverie, forcing the auror captain to turn his attention toward the man at the same time that he asked, "What should we do about the body?"

**PROJECT 19A708C OPERATION HERMIONE Page 16**

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E/N: As always, the next two chapters of this project are available through p atreon


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